On Monday 8-17-09, U.S. officials said they had slashed their estimate of how many swine flu vaccine doses will be available for the start of a mass vaccination campaign in the fall.
The Department of Health and Human Services said only 45 million doses of the new H1N1 vaccine would be on hand in mid-October, instead of the 120 million previously forecast. Because of delays in the manufacturing and packaging of the vaccines.
The revised delivery guidelines would push back a U.S. government estimate that all those requiring vaccinations be immunized by the first week of December.
The latest information from the manufacturers tells us that we now expect to have about 45 million doses by October 15 with approximately 20 million doses being delivered each week Thereafter, up to the 195 million doses that we have purchased," Bill Hall, an HHS spokesman, said in an e-mail.
About The Author -
Lisa Macfarlane is a professional health writer and editor who specializes in sexual health and health issues.
