New York, NY –
Demand for the H1N1 vaccine in New York City has been mixed – with the majority of school students declining free shots, and special weekend clinics being under-used. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the state, officials say they’re being flooded with requests for the vaccine. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.
REPORTER: The 57 counties in New York outside the five boroughs have received a total vaccine supply that's about equal to the city's. But hospitals, clinics and schools everywhere but here have administered all of their million-plus doses of vaccine while their city counterparts have doled out only about a tenth of that.
Dr. Guthrie Birkhead, from the state Health Department, says there are no plans to shift vaccine supplies to areas with higher demand.
BIRKHEAD: I think it’s a little bit early to be talking about that or to give up on the demand in any part of the state.
REPORTER: Outside the city, there are seven requests for every vaccine order that’s been filled. For WNYC, I’m Fred Mogul.
Fred Mogul has been covering healthcare and medicine for WNYC since 2002. His beat takes him to hospitals, community clinics, doctors offices, health agencies, public schools and research labs across the metropolitan area. His work has appeared on NPR and in the New York Times, Time magazine and Philadelphia Inquirer, among others.
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