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Md. School To Close Over H1N1 Cases
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CBS
The first doses of the swine flu vaccine are in Maryland.
Most of the much-anticipated first shipment will go straight to healthcare workers on the front lines, but state leaders are already urging the public to get vaccinated as soon as they can.
This comes as a Catholic school in Laurel closes Wednesday because of the H1N1 virus. St. Vincent Palloti High School has five confirmed cases of H1N1, and approximately 100 students were out Tuesday for a variety of reasons.
Principal Stephen Edmonds says he's trying to be proactive and prevent the spread of flu. He said he is trying to get a little bit ahead of the flu and help prevent its spread.
Edmonds says a cleaning company will disinfect all common surfaces.
Derek Valcourt has more on the vaccine coming to Maryland just in time.
Every elected official from the governor to your local representative says getting the swine flu vaccination is a smart move. Still, Tuesday, only a select few will be able to find it.
For more than a month, state leaders have been pushing the H1N1 flu vaccine as a sure "shot" way to keep Marylanders safe.
"We are in a race against the spread of swine flu to try to get the vaccine to as many people as we can," said Governor Martin O'Malley.
Over the coming days, the state will get about 34,000 doses, all in mist form. That's enough to cover just one percent of the Marylanders labeled vulnerable for getting the virus.
"Every year, there's always the first week when people run out and want to get the vaccine, but there's not enough. But then every year, the vaccine comes in pretty quickly and people realize they can get it if they need it and it will be the same with H1N1," said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, FDA.
Sinai Hospital confirmed to WJZ it received 400 doses of the H1N1 vaccine for healthcare workers Tuesday.
Not everyone is buying the benefits of the vaccine.
A new Harvard survey shows just 40 percent of adults plan to get vaccinated, and just over half plan to find it for their children. That's discouraging news for many elected leaders.
"It would be a shame after working so hard to get the vaccine available, if we didn't take full advantage of it now," said Congressman John Sarbanes.
Nearly all of the doses made available this week will go to healthcare workers. Over the next few weeks, up to a million more doses will arrive and those will be distributed more widely.
"The federal government has committed to vaccinate every American, as long as there's demand to do so, so we will continue to order what's available to Maryland," said Fran Phillips with the state health department.
With researchers at the University of Maryland playing a key role in the development and testing of the vaccine, demand is so high the federal government is acting to move even faster.
"What we've decided to do is make the vaccine available as soon as it comes off the production line. That means it's going to be available in lots, and states learn each day of additional vaccine that's available to them," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, Centers for Disease Control.
States hope to have the injectable version of the vaccine available to them within two weeks.
Healthcare workers are going to be the top priority for the first shipment of the nasal mist vaccine. That way they can be protected as they begin vaccinating the rest of the population.
The vaccine must be refrigerated when it arrives at the hospitals and healthcare clinics that have already agreed to begin vaccinating patients as early as Tuesday.
Nine people have died in Maryland since the H1N1 virus was first detected.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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