Provo » The Utah County Health Department will not be dispersing H1N1 flu shots Thursday, after a Tuesday morning run on the vaccine cleaned out the department's supply.
Joseph Miner, Health Department director, said the agency's last shipment was 6,000 doses, and they were gone by 11:30 a.m.
"This was the smallest shipment we have received yet," Miner said. It was also the highest demand for the shots. Miner said some people were lined up at the department's Provo office at 2:30 a.m. The line for shots -- which included parents with small children in strollers -- snaked through the county's parking deck to provide those in the queue with shelter from the snow and rain.
Miner said it is the biggest surge he has seen for flu vaccine in his career with the county. On the bright side, he said H1N1 is not proving to be any deadlier than seasonal flu.
"If it were a more deadly flu, we wouldn't give [vaccine] out until we had enough for everybody," Miner said, standing in a light snowfall answering people's questions about the shots' availability.
He said the county will know Wednesday how much more is coming in the next shipment. The county's goal is to conduct clinics every Tuesday and Thursday.
Miner said the county will learn by noon today how much vaccine will be available for next week's clinics. The vaccine will be delivered either Friday or Monday.
After Tuesday's rush, Miner said the county will implement one change to avoid having people waiting for hours in the cold for vaccine. When people arrive, they will receive a ticket with a specific time on it for them to return and get their shots.
"We're trying to figure out a good way to do this," Miner said.
He noted that the Weber-Morgan Health Department was going to have people make appointments, but he said that could be a logistical nightmare if thousands turn up for a shot.
