One in seven Oklahomans has received H1N1 vaccine

About one in seven Oklahomans has been vaccinated against swine flu, or H1N1, state health officials reported Tuesday.

Health Commissioner Terry Cline told the state Board of Health on Tuesday that more than 1 million doses of H1N1 vaccine have been shipped to more than 1,000 medical providers around the state, including county health departments, clinics and pharmacies.

About half of the doses, or 500,000 vaccinations, have been administered.

About 600 state Health Department workers were reassigned to immunization-related duties this fall, as mass vaccination clinics were held across the state.

"The goal is to get as many people vaccinated as we can,” said Don Blose, chief of immunization services for the state Health Department.

He said flu activity has slowed in the state, so some people may think the danger has passed even though H1N1 still is circulating and may resurge.

Blose also reminded parents that children younger than age 10 need two doses of the flu vaccine, taken at least 21 days apart.

Forty people in Oklahoma have died from swine flu and more than 1,000 have been hospitalized since early September.

Seasonal flu vaccinations also are recommended. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared this week as National Influenza Vaccination Week.

For information about county health department vaccinations, go to www.health.ok.gov.