KXLF

Posted: Oct 27, 2009 6:22 PM
Updated: Oct 28, 2009 11:39 AM

Montana has received almost 50,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine, but it's not enough to meet the demand. It didn't take long Monday for the vaccine supply to run out during a vaccination clinic at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings. The Unified Health Command expected the supply to last long enough for three more clinics this week but demand was so great, those clinics had to be cancelled.     

Riverstone Health had few answers Tuesday as to when more vaccine will arrive in Billings. Public Information Officer, Barbara Schneeman, says deciding the best way to distribute the vaccine has been a weekly challenge.

"We just really are in a difficult situation from a planning perspective and not knowing how much vaccine we're getting in a week or what type of vaccine we're getting in a week," explains Schneeman. "And we also recognize that that presents a lot of challenges and a great deal of frustration for the people that are seeking an H1N1 vaccine."

Schneeman says Riverstone Health has been told eventually there will be enough vaccine for every single person who wants to receive it.       

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control says eight million additional doses are available this week compared to last, and more should become available in the coming weeks.