HHS: Swine flu vaccine starts arriving in 2 weeks

WASHINGTON (AP) — More swine flu vaccine will arrive the first week of October than officials previously thought — between 6 million and 7 million doses.

That's roughly double earlier predictions, and most will be the nasal spray version called FluMist, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday.

Lots of flu shots will soon follow: About 40 million vaccine doses will arrive by mid-October, with between 10 million and 20 million more arriving each week, she said.

The government wants people most at risk from swine flu — or the 2009 H1N1 strain — to be first in line for the initial doses. They include pregnant women, the young — from age 6 months to 24 years, and people younger than 64 who have flu-risky conditions such as asthma. One caution: That first-arriving FluMist is only for healthy people ages 2 to 49, so many of the high-risk will need to watch for the shot version.

The vaccine itself will be free — the government bought it with taxpayer dollars. However, some providers may charge a fee to administer it; administration fees for regular flu vaccine often are in the $20 range.

But Sebelius said her office has been urging doctors and other vaccinators not to charge an administration fee. It's another step to speed vaccinations especially of the poor and uninsured for whom even a modest fee could be a disincentive.

"We're trying to lower the barriers as much as possible," she said. "We can't order them not to charge."