Although H1N1 flu shots will soon be available through the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, University Health Services is not yet confirmed to receive any doses.
UHS may receive approximately 1,500 doses by Dec. 14 at the earliest, but it is unlikely the vaccine will be available on campus before students, faculty and staff leave for the winter holidays, said UHS Associate Director Jamie Shutter.
“From our end, we’ve done every single thing [the Texas Department of State Health Services] asked, but they apparently don’t see us as a priority group,” Shutter said. “It’s frustrating because we have seen other clinics receive their doses, but we don’t know if we will get any or not.”
If the vaccine shipment does arrive in December, UHS will try to hold a clinic before the University closes for the holidays, most likely on Dec. 17, Shutter said. The clinic wouldbe open to all students, faculty and staff, and the shot would probably cost $5.
“There is a restricted amount of vaccine in Texas because we have a limited supply that can’t meet demands,” Shutter said.
The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department has an ample supply of doses for about 18,000 to 20,000, said spokeswoman Carole Barasch. The department has been receiving shipments of the vaccine since late October and is expecting to receive around 7,000 more doses sometime in the future, she said.
The department will hold four H1N1 flu shot clinics in December. The shots will be available by appointment only for all uninsured or under-insured Travis Country residents whose health care provider does not have the vaccine. The clinics are available to those who are pregnant, those between six months to 24 years and those who are household contacts or caregivers to infants less than six months old. People who are 25 to 64 years old with a chronic disorder or disease are also eligible.
“We are trying to provide the vaccine to as many people who fit our criteria as possible,” Barasch said. “If there is a demand, we will be able to fulfill it.”
H1N1 vaccine distribution should be similar to seasonal flu vaccine distribution, so large drug stores with pharmacies should have the shot soon if they do not already, Barasch said.
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