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Floyd Thompson, 78, of Sandy, left, finds out from Salt Lake Valley Health Department environmental health specialist Bruce Boggess, center, and Greg Langfeld, right, that he does not qualify for the doses of H1N1 vaccine Saturday at the Southeast Public Health Center in Sandy. Thousands turned out across the valley for the H1N1 vaccine but many were turned away as dosages ran out.
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People lined up by the thousands early Saturday outside Salt Lake County public health clinics, heeding officials' calls to get themselves and their children vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus. Yet hundreds were turned away soon after the clinics opened their doors, leaving many discouraged and frustrated.

Dosages, 7,000 in all, had been spoken for by 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the county's four mass-vaccination sites, Salt Lake Valley Health Department spokeswoman Kate Lilja said.

"It's sad there's a limited number of doses. I hope the people who need it can get it," Emily Green, who drove in from Orem, said as she stood in line at the Southeast Public Health Center in Sandy. As a pregnant woman, Green is in one of five groups targeted for priority vaccination against the flu that already has claimed eight Utahns and hospitalized another 274 this season.

Still, Lilja said county health officials viewed Saturday's clinics as a success. "We will be reviewing everything we did today to refine our process," she said.

Lilja said more clinics will be held in future but it's unlikely another mass vaccination will occur next Saturday.

The specter of around-the-block lines could be a seen as a public-health success story or a sign of a coming logistical train wreck as federal, state and local health authorities struggle to mass vaccinate children and adults in five special target groups.

"It's really gratifying to see a high level of interest," said David Sundwall, state Department of Health executive director. "We don't have any precedent for this. When we have enough for everyone, by late November and early December, it will be routinely available at vaccine clinics."

Until then, officials asked the public for patience and to keep the epidemic in perspective.

"I want people to be alert and on the ball, but I don't want them to be alarmed. It's tragic for some, but [Utah's deaths and morbidity] are really not in excess of what we see in a typical seasonal flu season so far," Sundwall said.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are releasing weekly batches of the swine-flu vaccine, but in much smaller volumes than anticipated. As a result, demand outstrips supply on vaccination day, sending conflicting messages to Utah residents: Officials insist you vaccinate your kids, but the process might be confusing, chaotic and inconvenient.

Sundwall himself witnessed Saturday's vaccination crowd at the 600 South clinic in Salt Lake City, where his daughter was among 500 people turned away. He received an e-mail from a frustrated asthmatic pregnant mother who has a baby at home. The woman's situation places her in three of the five target groups, yet she failed to get vaccinated after spending Saturday morning in line.

"Instead of just whining, she had an idea for pre-registering," Sundwall said. "We're learning on the job here. There has not been a mass vaccination like this since polio [in the mid-1950s]. We're taking notes, exploring ideas like registering so people in high-priority groups will get in."

The state has targeted public health workers, those who care for babies, those with chronic health problems and pregnant women for priority vaccination, but the big target group is children and young adults between the ages of six months and 24 years.

With the nation's highest birthrate, Utah has a larger percentage

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of its population falling in three priority groups for the vaccine than most states. Yet the officials have not asked CDC to re-evaluate its population-based distribution formulas.

"I would be reluctant to elbow our way up when other areas are so hard hit," Sundwall said, noting the epidemic has caused 17 pediatric deaths in Texas.

Meanwhile, doses have been slow to get to Salt Lake hospital workers.

"The biggest thing for us is making sure we get vaccinations for our staff. Sending our employees to the mass-vaccination clinics is not an efficient use of our staff's time," University Hospital spokesman Chris Nelson said. "We've asked them to send dosages to the hospital. We hope to have them by first of the week. We have [a dozen] patients with H1N1 at our hospital and we have to make sure we have staff to take care of them."

CDC notifies the states on Wednesdays of their allotments, which are based strictly on population, rather than the share of states' residents falling in the target groups. The state Health Department receives the dosages by week's end and distributes them to Utah's 12 local health departments, which are responsible for administering them.

"They have done a good job tailoring their distribution to their communities," Sundwall said. "We believe in home rule."

Bear River Health Department has yet to receive its allotment for this week. Its last 2,000-dose shipment arrived Monday and was quickly doled out, said Jill Parker, spokeswoman for the department that covers Cache, Rich and Box Elder counties.

Within 15 minutes of announcing vaccine availability Monday, a line formed outside the Logan clinic, which administered 1,200 does in about 2 1/2 hours. Residents relayed the word through social networks and Twitter, Parker said. Some at the Logan clinic were turned away.

Officials hope the distribution snafus will work themselves out as vaccine supplies increase. But Salt Lake's current system, which forces parents to wait outside for an hour or more with small children, will not be viable when winter weather arrives.

By 6:20 a.m. Saturday, the line at the Sandy clinic exceeded 1,000 people and police were dispatched for crowd control and to direct traffic. Julie Gedge of West Jordan, part of a group that included four children, arrived at 4:45 a.m.

"I have kids with asthma. I don't care about me getting it. I care about my kids," Gedge said, noting that another group had camped out overnight.

At the South Main Public Health Center in South Salt Lake, about 2,200 people stood in a line snaking through the parking lot when the clinic opened at 7 a.m., said Lilja, the county health spokeswoman. Cars filled parking lots and lined the sides of streets a block away. Many of those waiting were parents with young children.

At the Sandy clinic, people brought blankets, chairs and hot chocolate. And many questioned the rationing of the vaccine and the seemingly arbitrary way the feds distribute it to states.

"Come on. It's Utah. The whole state is pregnant," said a pregnant Vesta Dean of Midvale, at the Sandy clinic. "We just have so many kids in day care, school and church."

Tribune reporters Lindsay Whitehurst and Lisa Carricaburu contributed to this story.

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Wasatch Front vaccine clinics

The Salt Lake Valley Health Department has exhausted its supply of the H1N1 flu vaccine, and it's unclear when it will receive more. However, other Wasatch Front health departments plan clinics this week, including:

Davis County Health Department » A clinic is planned Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Davis Conference Center, 800 W. Heritage Park Blvd., Layton. The clinic will last until 2,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered, spokesman Bob Ballew said. Learn more at www.daviscountyutah.gov/flu or by calling 801-451-3333.

Utah County Health Department » A clinic is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, if a shipment of vaccine arrives Monday as expected, spokesman Lance Madigan said. The clinic will be at 151 S. University Ave., Provo.

A second clinic will take place at the same location starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, if dosages of the vaccine are still available. Learn more at www.co.utah.ut.us/dept/health/, or by calling 801-851-2222.

More online » Check the availability of H1N1 vaccine at all 12 Utah regional health departments, online at www.sltrib.com.