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The one-shot inoculation for adults is good news because it means there will be plenty of vaccine to go around, experts say.
On Sunday, Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, announced the serum should be ready for distribution by the beginning of October, instead of the original mid- to late-October forecast.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg said recently the city will offer the regular seasonal and swine flu vaccines to all public and private school students. Younger children will be inoculated in school and older ones will have to go to city-designated health centers on weekends, the locations of which have not been announced yet. Parents must sign a letter of consent.
The updated announcements about the vaccine’s availability caught the city Department of Health off-guard. According to DOH spokeswoman Zoe Tobin, no updates on locations or dates will be announced until the fall, which begins Sept. 22.
In October, the city will announce the nearest places for non-emergency care on its website to avoid overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms. Also, the city’s health clinics will turn into flu centers to relieve hospitals.
Residents are urged to call 311 to find the closest flu clinic, when that information becomes available.
Studies show children and young adults seem to be more susceptible to the swine flu than the regular seasonal flu. Because it’s a new strain, few people have built up an immunity, making it spread quickly, especially in schools.
The initial outbreak in the United States was at St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, after several students returned from a spring break trip to Mexico, where the flu originated.
It’s no surprise then that when college campuses reopened recently, new cases of swine flu erupted. Colleges with large campus housing such as Washington State University reported 2,000 cases while the University of Mississippi listed 386. The New York City public school system — which closed several facilities last spring due to outbreaks — has not announced any new cases since classes began last week.
Health officials also warn that a separate seasonal flu vaccine is needed. That serum is now available through doctors’ offices and at certain drug stores across the city.
