UPDATED 10/07 6:31

The first shipment of the H1N1 nasal spray vaccine has trickled its way over to south Georgia. The Thomas County Health Department received a couple hundred doses on Tuesday and they began administering the spray Wednesday morning.

Nurses in Thomas, Decatur and Colquitt Counties went over the H1N1 protocal on Tuesday to make sure all the safety measures were in place. Officials say because of limited shipments, right now they're targeting those who are most at risk of complications from the H1N1 virus.

"We have received our first shipment of H1N1 vaccine yesterday (Tuesday). We received 300 doses, right now the CDC recommends we give it to two to four-year-olds," Thomas County Health Department Tracy Holland said.

Health officials say they must be "healthy" two to four-year-olds. They cannot have health problems like asthma.

They also say two to four-year-olds have the highest rates of hospitalization from the H1N1 virus which is why the vaccine is available to them first.

The Center for Disease Control says the injection vaccine has been shipped and should arrive at health departments within a week.
But again its a limited shipment so it's not available for everyone, yet.

Health officials say by the end of October or early November there should be an ample supply available for everyone.

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Thomas County has received its initial limited shipment of H1N1 nasal spray vaccine and it is slated to begin administering it to the priority population (healthy 2 to 4 year olds) on Wednesday, October 6th.

Because these first shipments are very small and are being sent directly to health departments, the District is encouraging people interested in getting the H1N1 vaccine to contact their county health departments to check and make sure there is a supply on hand rather than just showing up and possibly being disappointed.

More vaccine is being shipped out and should begin arriving shortly, and eventually there will be plenty available throughout Southwest Georgia for everyone who wants it to receive it.

For now, we hope the public will be patient and bear with us as we target those most at risk of complications from H1N1 first. (Children ages 2 to 4 have one of the highest rates of hospitalization from H1N1, which is why the vaccine is being made available to them first. The nasal spray is not for everybody, but it simply doesn't take as long to produce it as it takes to make the flu shots.) As more vaccine -- including the shots -- become available, health departments will be able to include more populations.

Other counties in the Southwest Health District that have received the shipment include Decatur and Colquitt County.