State officials say it's too early to determine how much demand there will be for the swine flu vaccine.
Dr. Rhonda Medows, commissioner of the state Department of Community Health, said people have a lot of questions about the virus and the vaccine, and she called that questioning "healthy."
The state this week received its first shipment of vaccine, 54,800 doses of nasal mist using a weakened live virus. Georgia officials expect to receive 2 million doses by the end of the month, including a shipment of about 50,000 doses of injectable vaccine within the next week.
Federal health officials have strongly urged people to take the vaccine, which they say is the best protection against swine flu, also called the H1N1 virus. But some people are still undecided whether they will take it.
Demand for the spray mist vaccine has been slow in the 12-county health district that includes Butts, Carroll, Coweta and Fayette counties, spokeswoman Hayla Hall said.
Because children are more susceptible to catching and spreading swine flu, state health officials targeted youngsters age 2-4 and their caregivers as the highest priority for the nasal mist vaccine. Other high-priority groups include pregnant women and health care workers.
Hall suspects some parents didn't want their children to get the live virus or they may be waiting to see what, if any, side effects develop from the vaccine.
"I think most parents think, ‘I'd rather get it [the vaccine] first before I give it to my child'," she said. She also said more people may prefer the injectable vaccine.
At the East Metro Health District, there's been a steady number of phone calls from people who want to get the vaccine, spokeswoman Suleima Salgado said. She said the district, which includes Gwinnett, Rockdale and Newton counties, received about 6,500 doses of the spray. Friday will be the first day that the district will offer it to the general public, she said, although some first responders such as firefighters and emergency medical personnel have already visited the clinics to receive the vaccine.
Medows said at a DCH board meeting Thursday that the department's Web site will add features that will allow Georgians to search for vaccine providers. The state will also establish a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week call center to provide information about the H1N1 virus. Both should be functional soon, she said.
Twenty-seven state residents have died of H1N1, and more than 500 have been hospitalized in Georgia, state health officials said.
Medows said two of the people who died were pregnant women and four were children. All the people who died had underlying conditions with the exception of a 7-year-old girl from Dalton, she said.
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