Vaccine supply frustrating health officials

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Federal health officials say that H1N1 is now widespread in 48 states around the country. Thirty million doses of the vaccine were available as of Monday.

Officials expect the supply will increase in the coming days. But local health officials said they are frustrated by the low supplies of the vaccine but there is nothing they can do.

The Hamilton Southeastern School District had originally planned to begin vaccinating students this week. Administrators put in an order for 20,000 doses of the vaccine, but that order has not been met. Now the school district is re-evaluating its vaccination plan.

"We have plans in place. We have places to hold them. It's just a matter of that vaccine supply becoming heavy enough for us to conduct them," said Tony Benge with the Hamilton County Health Department.

People are getting vaccinated, but not at the rate health officials had expected. The federal government vastly overestimated the amount of vaccine that would be available during the month of October.

According to the CDC, as of October 14, Indiana had received 240,800 doses of H1N1 vaccine. The state received an additional 32,400 doses during the third week of October and another 187,600 doses by the fourth week. Altogether, Indiana received just fewer than 461,000 doses in October.

That's not enough to vaccinate all the at-risk residents in Marion County alone.

Federal officials are asking for the public to be patient.

"Over time, we expect that supply will start to increase and eventually catch up with the tremendous demand we're seeing now," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, who is with the National Center for Immunization and Diseases .