BENNINGTON -- Several people walked away from an H1N1 flu clinic in Manchester, Thursday, because they didn’t want to receive the swine flu vaccine via nasal spray, state Health Commissioner Dr. Wendy Davis said.
"It’s unfortunate, because it’s our sense that some of the people that turned it down could have received it and been immunized," Davis said Friday.
Davis said the clinic, which started with 100 doses of injectable vaccine and 100 doses of a nasal mist, ended Thursday with 60 doses of the nasal mist remaining. She said it’s unclear how many people declined the nasal spray. A similar clinic in Middlebury earlier this week ended with 100 people being turned away because there was not enough vaccine.
"It seemed quite clear ... that there were at least some individuals that did not want that form of the vaccine," Davis said.
Health officials are discouraged that people are declining the nasal mist, according to Davis. She said there is anecdotal evidence of similar situations in other states, including reports of health care workers who have not wanted the nasal form of vaccine.
"For the people who can receive it, it’s a safe and very effective vaccine," she said. "With the vaccine in short supply, we were disappointed."
The nasal mist is appropriate for people between the ages of 2 and 49. The nasal spray is only potentially dangerous for people who have certain chronic medical conditions or already
The Health Department is now working to clear up any misinformation about the nasal spray, Davis said. Although the nasal vaccine contains the live H1N1 virus, it is in a severely weakened state and does not grow at normal body temperatures, Davis said.
The vaccine has been available for about a month, but supplies have been limited because of delays in manufacturing. Currently, the vaccine is only being given to those at the highest risk.
Davis said the state received more of the nasal mist in the first few weeks it was made available. The state is receiving more of the injectable vaccine now, which is made by several different manufacturers, she said. As of Friday, the state had received 57,000 injectable and 21,200 doses of the nasal mist.
A new national poll has found that only about a third of adults who have tried to get the vaccine have been able to get it, according to the Associated Press. According to the poll, conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, a similar proportion of children have also been unable to receive the vaccine. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
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