Swine-flu immunizations begin, but questions linger

Even as the first shipments of swine-flu vaccine began arriving Friday at certain hospitals and larger clinics in King County, most medical providers still were not sure how many doses they would be receiving for patients.

Friday's shipments were earmarked for health-care workers.

For weeks, patients have been asking, and "it's hard for us because we would really like to tell our patients a definitive answer," said Ellen Passloff, doctor at Northwest Pediatrics in the Northgate area.

Private providers are playing a key role in efforts to quickly vaccinate those most at risk of complications from swine flu. They have been taking part in regular conference calls with local health departments to get the latest information about the vaccines.

But the specific supply that will be available to them for patients is still to be determined, with officials from Public Health — Seattle & King County saying those numbers depend on the overall vaccine supply.

In King County, health-care workers were getting vaccinated soon after Friday's initial shipments of some 20,000 doses began arriving.

About 250,000 doses are to come in the next delivery, and about 150,000 more per week after that.

King County health authorities are recommending people get the H1N1 vaccine at the same place they would get a seasonal flu shot. Typically, that's a doctor's office, but other options are commercial pharmacies or health centers and community sites where flu clinics will be held for those with limited access to a regular doctor.

Even as a recent Associated Press poll found that about half of Americans do not want the vaccine, local providers say they have been fielding increasing numbers of questions about the vaccine's availability and safety. Most providers are directing callers to special swine-flu Web pages they have established.

"We're doing our best, as the vaccine supply improves, to let people know," said Kirk Williamson, spokesman for Group Health.

Group Health is updating information on its Web site and phone recordings, which eventually will direct patients to specific Group Health clinics for the vaccine.

At Swedish Medical Center, Will Shelton, director of epidemiology and infection control, said Swedish will update the recorded message on its phone line to let patients know when the vaccine has arrived at its clinics.

"There are people who want to know the availability, and there are people that want to know about vaccine safety," he said.

Smaller medical practices such as Northwest Pediatrics also are being barraged with questions. Passloff said she's recommending patients call back at the end of October.

"All our patients are asking us," she said. "They do seem really interested."

Overall, providers say they are impressed by the coordination they've seen between federal and local authorities.

"The fact that we just heard about this [H1N1] in April and we have a vaccine distributed in October is amazing," Shelton said. "There's tremendous commitment from the federal government and scientific community."

But there is also still much confusion as to who should be among the first to get vaccinated. Williamson at Group Health said seniors are coming to clinics asking for the H1N1 vaccine.

But those over age 65 are not among the priority groups and so must wait.

The H1N1 vaccine is recommended for health-care workers, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years, those between 25 and 64 with underlying medical conditions, and pregnant women. Health-care providers received priority because they are at high risk for infection and could put vulnerable patients at risk.

Marnette Federis: 206-464-2521 or mfederis@seattletimes.com

Information in this article, originally published Oct. 10, 2009, was corrected Oct. 12, 2009. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated for whom the H1N1 vaccine is recommended. The H1N1 vaccine is recommended for health-care workers, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years, those between 25 and 64 with underlying medical conditions, and pregnant women.