Seven weeks after the nation’s swine flu vaccination program began, Pennsylvania’s first public vaccine clinics are scheduled this weekend at locations across the state, including Richland Township and Altoona.

Reservations are required for the clinics, which state officials stress are targeting those most at risk of serious complications.

The local clinics begin today from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Richland fire hall, 1321 Scalp Ave., and will continue from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Although state health leaders believe they have overcome many problems, the national program has been plagued by problems and information gaps.

When the nation’s swine flu vaccination program began in early October, health officials predicted it was going to be “messy.” They were right:

• Health officials have been terrible at predicting when and how much vaccine would be available. Only about 44 million doses have been shipped so far.

Initially, officials said more than three times that would be out by now.

• At times vaccine shipments have been inexplicably lopsided. For example, small counties in Illinois and California received the same amount delivered to counties with seven times as many people.

• Health officials have stressed that people most at risk for swine flu complications should go to the head of the line, but they haven’t tried to make sure that actually happened.

• And despite pledges that they would be transparent about the vaccine program, some health officials have refused to disclose where all the doses are going and they have held back on public service announcements telling people who should be coming in for shots.

Supplies are still available for additional appointments Saturday and Sunday in Richland, Health Department spokeswoman Stacey Kriedeman said.

Eligible groups include: Those age 6 months to 24 years, household contacts and caregivers for babies younger than 6 months, pregnant women, health-care and emergency services workers, and those younger than 65 with underlying health and respiratory conditions.

Reservations may be made online at www.h1n1inpa.com, or by calling toll-free, (877) PA HEALTH from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.

To be fair, health officials say, the U.S. government deserves credit for a herculean effort to develop and distribute a safe and effective vaccine against a deadly virus that was first identified only seven months ago.

“You have a brand-new disease that gets identified in April. By October, you have a vaccine for it. By any standards, it’s a miracle,” said Dr. Diane Helentjaris, director of the Virginia Department of Health office handling swine flu response.

But complaints have been mounting.

Arthur Caplan, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Bioethics, said health officials should have done more to make sure limited doses get to the people most at danger from the virus. And he said they should have been tougher on nurses and other health-care workers who are putting their patients at risk because they declined to get a shot.

“It is not working right at all,” Caplan said.

In their defense, officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that the main issue is insufficient vaccine from manufacturers – something CDC can’t control – and that health authorities are doing the best they can.

“A lot of this is a function of not having as much vaccine as we would like to have,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, who heads the agency’s immunization section.

The new swine flu, also called 2009 H1N1, has not turned out to be the deadly global disaster that experts have long feared.

But it has sickened an estimated 22 million Americans, hospitalized about 98,000 and killed 4,000. It has proved to be similar to seasonal flu but a much bigger threat to children and young adults.

There was no vaccine to protect against the new virus, so manufacturers had to create a new one. Supply problems have forced states to make hard decisions about where to send the doses and which patients should get it.

Pennsylvania is using the honor system this weekend.

“We are not requiring any doctors’ notes,” Kriedeman said.

“We believe Pennsylvanias will do the right thing.”



Area clinics

The state Department of Health is offering free H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine for those most at risk of serious complications. Clinics scheduled in the region are:

• Residents of Cambria, Somerset and Indiana counties: Richland Township fire hall, 1321 Scalp Ave.

• Residents of Blair and Bedford counties: Blair County State Health Center, Cricket Field Plaza, 615 Howard Ave., Altoona.

• Residents of Westmoreland County: Mon Valley State Health Center in Monessen.

The clinics will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. today, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Reservations are required and may be made online at www.h1n1inpa.com or by calling toll-free (877) PA HEALTH from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.