One doctor reported other roadblocks when he tried to order the H1N1 vaccine.
"I had to spend at least four hours of my time on the computer with much frustration," said Dr. Stuart Beeber, an attending pediatrician at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y. "First, there were temporary passwords and temporary pins, then regular pre-certification numbers, then I had to go to another Web site."
"I had to promise not to sell or transfer the vaccine, that I wouldn't charge more than pennies, I had to have a refrigerator with constant monitoring of temperature, etcetera, etcetera. I had to sign my life away," he continued. "Then they sent me maybe 25 percent of the total I had requested -- 400 doses, half the nasal spray and half the injectable with mercury. It's pick your poison: nasal spray with live virus or mercury."
Beeber said he believes he was the first doctor in his county to get the vaccine.
Until the swine flu vaccine is widely available, experts are urging people to follow oft-stated guidelines, namely avoid crowds, use good respiratory etiquette (i.e. sneeze into your sleeve) and wash your hands frequently.
"Although vaccines are probably the best option, they're not the only option," said Dr. John Treanor, chief of the infectious diseases division at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. "We'd love to have the vaccine available now, but for the time being, it looks like we'll have to rely on those non-vaccine interventions."
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the H1N1 swine flu situation.
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