Swine flu vaccine in stock in south

There is enough H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine available for everyone at health centres managed by the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA).

SWRHA CEO Keith McDonald said so in a phone interview today after a video circulated on social media of what appeared to be a huge crowd converging at a health centre to get the flu shots.

That video was reportedly shot on Wednesday. However, in newspaper advertisements and on its website, the Health Ministry listed a number of health centres where the vaccine is available on Tuesdays and Thursday between 8am and 4pm.

Asked about the sudden rush for the vaccine, McDonald said people had now recognised the importance of getting it.

“People are rushing now because of the heightened awareness. I think now people recognise the importance of getting the flu shot, so we are seeing that increase at our health centres.”

Asked whether the region has enough, McDonald said: “Yes, yes, yes, more than enough to cater to everybody.”

However he explained that a large amount of the vaccine was not stored at a single health centre but was distributed according to demand.

“It’s just that we won’t take 2,000 vaccines and put it somewhere. But now that people are aware, what you find is, where before you have people trickling in, now hundreds of people are swooping down asking for the vaccine, and we won’t store so much at one place.

“But if it run out today by tomorrow we have," he added. "We are handling the situation.”

Asked whether there is a group of individuals who were given preferential treatment, he said, “No, no, no. We do everybody."