According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, about 1.2 million vaccine doses have been delivered to Michigan counties since Sept. 1, and 958,200 more have been ordered. More than 189,000 cases of H1N1 have been reported in the state, and the number continues to climb.

Counties are getting in vaccines as fast as they can, state Chief Medical Executive Gregory Holzman said. Holzman said despite some citizens’ concerns that the vaccine could be unsafe, H1N1 vaccines are made in the same way as seasonal flu vaccines and are just as safe, with similar side effects.

Although there have been cases of allergic reactions to the vaccines, they are very rare, Holzman said.

Because the number of available vaccines is limited, only those who fall into the high-risk group — including small children, pregnant women and those with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease — are eligible to receive vaccinations, Ingham County Health Department spokesman Marcus Cheathum said. Cheathum said he hopes the county can allow vaccinations to everyone by the end of the month.

Bob Swanson, director of the Division of Immunization for the Michigan Department of Community Health, said the shortage has occurred because culturing the vaccine has taken longer than expected.

“It’s been slower than (manufacturers had) expected, but now we’re getting better results than we previously were,” Swanson said.

Cheathum said the county has been distributing vaccines to citizens at its regional clinics and to private health care providers to better reach target groups, such as small children and pregnant women.

He said the county has received a steady number of vaccinations and is receiving one shipment per week from the vaccine’s manufacturer. The county then distributes some of the vaccines to private physicians, institutions such as MSU and county-hosted clinics. He said getting vaccinated is the only way to ensure you won’t get the flu and also is important to stop it from spreading.

“The community really needs to get behind this, not only for themselves, but to avoid passing it on to other people,” Cheathum said.

Students who have not been vaccinated said they are worried about getting sick and have been extra careful of their health.

“I’m worried about it, so I’ve been drinking a lot of tea and doing a lot of stuff to just try and stay healthy,” human biology junior Jen Copus said.

H1N1 at MSU

So far, more than 1,400 vaccines have been delivered to MSU in two separate deliveries, university spokesman Jason Cody said.

Cody said once MSU receives enough vaccinations to immunize all high-risk students, faculty and staff, the remaining vaccinations will be available to everyone on campus.

“(The) biggest difficulty is, MSU is going to continue to receive the vaccines in very small and sporadic amounts,” Cody said.

Cody suggested students who don’t qualify to receive the vaccine at MSU should check public clinics hosted throughout Ingham County. A list of public clinics can be found on the Ingham County Health Department’s Web site, hd.ingham.org.

Olin Health Center Communications and Planning Coordinator Kathi Braunlich said earlier this month Olin would provide doctor’s notes to students experiencing flu-like symptoms, with the exception of special circumstances. Despite that, the university still recommends anyone feeling sick should stay home from classes.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said it always has been Olin’s policy not to give out doctors’ notes. She said faculty members are expected to establish their own policy on whether to excuse absences.

However, if a student does have an issue with a professor regarding missing class because of illness, Simon said students should direct their concerns to the Office of the Ombudsman.

Simon said the flu outbreak at MSU is far from reaching pandemic proportions, but if the illness does become unruly, there is a policy in place to keep the university safe. Simon has the authority to decide what would happen if the illness reached pandemic level at MSU.

“We don’t believe we’re at that state now,” she said.

The flu season

Both state and local health officials said it is hard to predict what the remainder of the flu season will bring. Holzman said the season started earlier in the year than is normal, with signs of illness appearing as early as summer.

With the prolonged season, Holzman said it will be difficult to compare to seasons in the past until the season is over.

Holzman said it’s also hard to tell whether the large number of illnesses already reported means the flu season has reached its peak.

“Flu tends to come in waves,” he said. “I would not be surprised to see another peak.”

Students who fall into risk groups are encouraged to attend public health clinics or see private health care providers to receive a vaccine. Vaccines should be available to everyone later this month, Cheathum said.