November 20, 2009 - Public Health is responsible for the allocation of all H1N1 vaccine to the health care community in King County. Health care providers from across King County have been invited to order vaccine to provide to their patients and for staff who provide medical care. Over 400 health care institutions, practices and individual providers have requested vaccine so far.
An estimated 190,000 people in King County who are high-risk for complications have already been vaccinated for H1n1 influenza. Currently, vaccine is exclusively for individuals in priority groups. As more vaccine comes into the county and to health care providers each week, people should contact their health care provider to find out when they expect to receive vaccine. Eventually, there will be enough vaccine for anyone who wants to receive a vaccination.
In addition to continuing to provide doses to health care providers that have ordered them, Public Health is distributing limited amounts of vaccine to pharmacies. We expect that this ongoing strategy will help ensure vaccine access to those individuals without a healthcare provider and also for those whose healthcare provider is not enrolled to receive H1N1 vaccine.