As H1N1 flu cases fall, more vaccine available in Minnesota

[Pioneer Press, November 25, 2009] A continued decrease in reported H1N1 flu cases and an increase in vaccine stores will allow most people up to 24 years old to qualify for the vaccine, state health officials said Tuesday. The new vaccination guidelines will allow an estimated 2.7 million Minnesotan to qualify for the vaccine, compared with 718,000 covered previously. Officials with Allina Hospitals & Clinics, though, said they weren't comfortable offering vaccines under the new guidelines, based on their current stores. "At this point, we think we have a lot of kids from the 6 months to 18 years that we have yet to vaccinate. ... We did not want to set the patients up to come in and think they'd have the vaccine and not have it," said Lynn Berg, director of risk and safety for 80 Minnesota clinics belonging to Allina and its subsidiaries. We're dealing with it as a whole health system, not just the clinics." Berg said Allina will count stocks again Monday. At that point, she said, Allina would likely expand vaccinations to meet the new guidelines. Read the whole story at twincities.com.