With Gannett still seeing eight to 15 new cases of probable H1N1 flu per day, Tompkins County Health Department received its first batch of H1N1 flu vaccine in an attempt to combat the spread of the virus during the coming months.

According to a press release published last week by TCHD, limited quantities of both the injectable and nasal spray H1N1 vaccine have arrived at the TCHD and at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca. While TCHD and CMC are currently the only health care providers who have received shipments, local providers who signed up for the vaccine will eventually receive the supplies via direct mail.

TCHD received its first 500 doses of the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine Oct. 7. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDH) directed local health departments to prioritize health care workers and first responders with the initial shipment of the vaccine.

“Current efforts are focused on vaccinating health workers and first responders. As shipments of H1N1 flu vaccine increase, vaccinations will proceed for individuals in five target groups as specified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the press release stated.

According to Sharon Dittman, associate director of community relations at Gannett Health Services, while Gannett personnel are a priority group, they are not required to get the seasonal flu or H1N1 vaccine. The New York state mandate regarding seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccination applies to all personnel working in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, diagnostic and treatment centers, certified home health agencies, long-term home health care programs, AIDS home care agencies and hospices licensed under Article 28 of the New York State Public Health Law.

However, Gannett staff members are encouraged to get the vaccination. While the nationwide level of vaccination among healthcare providers is 40 to 50 percent, the level of vaccination among Gannett staff is 85 percent.

“We feel that we really have a good understanding on the part of our staff on the importance of vaccination, not only to their personal health, but the health of the students, staff and faculty in which they interact with,” Dittman said.

Currently, Gannett has only received a small amount of nasal H1N1 flu vaccines from TCHD. Due to health concerns, many staff members are ineligible to receive the flu mist. According to TCHD, the nasal spray is a live attenuated vaccine approved for healthy people ages two through 49 who are not pregnant, do not have certain health conditions, do not have a long-term health problem such as asthma or heart disease and do not have muscle or nervous system disorders.

Dittman said that Gannett hopes to get more information next week on when students may be able to receive H1N1 flu vaccines.

“We are awaiting information about when we can expect to receive H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine, in what formulations (shot or mist), and in what quantities. We will share that information with the Cornell community as soon as we have it,” Dittman stated in an e-mail.

An NYSDH press release stated that New York State’s allotment for H1N1 vaccine, outside of New York City, is 91,000 doses. The CDC expected three million doses of the vaccine to be available nationwide last week and three million more this week. Approximately 10 to 15 million vaccine doses are expected to become available for national distribution each week thereafter until the end of October. The federal government has purchased enough vaccine to provide a total of 250 million doses.

According to the CDC, target groups to receive the H1N1 vaccine first include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than six months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, persons between the ages of six months and 24 years old and people ages 25 through 64 with chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

Richard Daines, M.D., commissioner of health for New York state, said that persuading people to get vaccinated is one of the challenges facing health professionals. For example, according to a University of Michigan poll, 60 percent of parents surveyed do not plan to vaccinate their children against H1N1.

According to Daines, this year, we are experiencing what amounts to three flu seasons. The first seasonal flu season began in the winter, then the spring outbreak of H1N1 occurred and now we are experiencing our third flu season of seasonal flu in the fall and coming winter. Thus, while the typical flu season causes 36,000 deaths nationally and 2,000 in New York, higher numbers are expected this year.

“It triples the toll of influenza without influenza being any more severe than it’s normally been. It’s just coming through three times in this calendar year,” Daines said.

According to the NYSDH, the H1N1 vaccine is licensed by the Federal Drug Administration and is considered very safe. The H1N1 vaccine was developed and licensed using the same process as the seasonal vaccine as well.