State ends flu shot mandate

RICK KARLIN AND SCOTT WALDMAN
Timesunion.com
Friday, Oct 23rd, 2009

ALBANY -- Citing a shortage of the vaccine, the state Department of Health has ended a mandate that most of the state's health care workers be inoculated against the flu.

Gov. David Paterson attributed Thursday's decision to limited supplies of the H1N1 vaccinations, a number of doses far short of the federal government's expected delivery. The decision also tosses out mandated seasonal flu shots.

"Over the last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged that New York would only receive approximately 23 percent of its anticipated vaccine supply by the end of the month," Paterson said in a prepared statement. "As a result, we need to be as resourceful as we can with the limited supplies of vaccine currently coming into the state and make sure that those who are at the highest risk for complications from the H1N1 flu receive the first vaccine being distributed right now in New York state."

This summer, the federal government projected 120 million doses would be available by the end of October. This week, the CDC changed expected delivery to just 27.7 million doses. The CDC allowed the state to order only 146,300 doses of vaccine, even though New York's health providers requested more than 1,482,822 doses.

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