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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, October 15, 2009

State gets injectable vaccine

Advertiser Staff

The first shipment of the injectable version of the H1N1 influenza vaccine is in Hawaii, the state Department of Health said.

The state last week was allocated 6,700 doses of the injectable vaccine by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the first allocation arrived yesterday, the DOH said. The state's weekly allocation will increase as orders are placed daily by the state, the DOH said.

Groups targeted for the shots include pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes and other conditions that affect lung function or immune systems, the DOH said.

Last week, the DOH began to administer the nasal spray version of the vaccine to priority groups, which include health care and emergency medical personnel, and children . The spray is not recommended for pregnant women, the DOH said.

Hawaii received 14,400 doses of the nasal spray vaccine in the first week of October.

Others in the priority group include caregivers for children younger than 6 months; those between 6 months and 24 years old; and those 25 through 64 who have health conditions associated with higher risk of complications from influenza.

For a list of community providers offering the H1N1 vaccine to the public, visit www.flu.hawaii.gov. Updates on the availability of the vaccine also are available on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HIgov_Health.