The first injectable doses of H1N1 vaccine have been rolling-out across the state the last several days. State health officials say so far, nearly 500,000 doses have been distributed to public health districts and private providers. And orders are being placed for another 60,000 doses in this initial allotment.

The number of doses going to each of the state’s health districts is less than originally anticipated from October predictions.

Brenda Greene says her 14-county Southwest Public Health District has 2,500 injectable doses in-hand right now, ready for the public Wednesday morning. Unknown right now she says, is the timetable to get more in this current wave:

"There are some providers in the community that have not received any yet, so the strategy is to try to get some to all the providers that have requested it. So public health may or may not get any more...it may go to private providers”.

State health officials say at this point, it's impossible to predict how many more doses of H1N1 vaccine might be needed to get through the winter season. But officials will order more when new allocations become available.

The injectable is available to a wider group of people than the nasal spray--ages 6 and older falling within CDC-identified priority groups. Those include pregnant women, caregivers for young children, and adults 25-64 with underlying health concerns. Officials expect the response for the injectable to be greater than that of the nasal spray, which has been in circulation for several weeks.

People can still get the nasal form of the vaccine from public clinics and private providers. Another 34,000 doses of the spray are being ordered.

Tags: Georgia, health, swine flu, CDC, H1N1 vaccine, Southwest Georgia Health District, injectable