H1N1 Vaccine Availability Expected To Rise; But Resistant Forms Cropping Up

By Jonathan Wilson

Virginia's health director says it won't be long before anyone who wants an H1N1 flu vaccine can get one. But the future of the virus is still uncertain.

Demand for the vaccine still appears to be strong, if the turnout at one free clinic in Fairfax County is any indication. Harpreet Gujral is here with her four-year-old daughter, and though she says things have moved smoothly, she still had to wait an hour.

"The place is full, and they have only 400 vaccines, and I'm sure their going to run out," says Gujral.

Dr. Peter Troell, with the county health department, says the H1N1 flu appears to have gone through two waves, and with a third wave of cases predicted, he's glad to see parents still bringing their children in for vaccinations. "This is a really good window of opportunity for people to become vaccinated," says Troell.

The state's health director, Dr. Karen Remley, says vaccine availability should dramatically increase within the next two weeks. But in a teleconference today, she also confirmed Virginia has seen two cases of H1N1 flu resistant to antiviral medication.

"Both of those cases were in people with significant immuno-suppression, which is what the CDC is seeing around the country," says Remley.

Doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the vaccine is still what they call " well matched" to the virus.