With its first shipment of 1,600 H1N1 influenza vaccines received on Friday, Gannett will distribute the vaccines to students with underlying health conditions, those who are pregnant and those who care for infants under six months of age.

Concurrent with CDC recommendations, students with no underlying health conditions, faculty and staff are not eligible to receive vaccinations from this limited supply. 14,000 H1N1 Vaccines Needed for University

“As the vaccine becomes widely available in the coming weeks, all members of the community wishing to be vaccinated should have access to the vaccine at Cornell or from area health care providers,” Gannett’s press release stated.

According to Sharon Dittman, Gannett Health Services, Gannett began contacting students yesterday who were known to have underlying health conditions, as indicated by Gannett student health records. At risk students will continue to be contacted and special vaccine appointments beginning today are available while supplies of the H1N1 vaccine last. Individuals who are not contacted by Gannett but have underlying health conditions should make appointments for the vaccine. As of last night, appointments for today were nearly full.

While Gannett does not have an exact number of how many students have already been notified, Dittman said that roughly 1,700 were notified when the seasonal flu vaccine became available. Students notified due to underlying health conditions for the seasonal flu vaccine were also among those students notified for the H1N1 vaccine.

Gannett does not know the exact delivery dates, quantities or formulation — shot or mist — of the vaccine it will receive. It has registered with the New York State Department of Health its expectation that the University will need at least 14,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine. This number is based on the number of seasonal flu vaccines given last year, Dittman explained. Beginning this week, Gannett must place a specific order each week based on how much vaccine the staff can give to individuals over a specific time period. An order for 4,000 more H1N1 vaccines was placed this week and should arrive in two weeks.

However, ordering the vaccines and getting the vaccines are two different things.

“We’re being aggressive in letting the state know what we need and what our community needs. We are also aware that there are many other health care providers across the state who who are responsible for many other people who need the vaccine,” Dittman said.

After the first priority group of at-risk students is vaccinated, Gannett will focus on the remaining students under 25 years of age. Gannett will then offer the H1N1 vaccine in the following order, per CDC recommendations: faculty and staff members up to age 64 with underlying health conditions or pregnant, members of the Cornell community age 25 to 64 with no underlying health conditions and then to those 65 and older whose risk for infection with H1N1 influenza is less than in younger age groups.

Individuals are encouraged to get both the H1N1 vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine as we move into the winter months.

“Flu is notoriously unpredictable in its impact on individuals and communities, but we anticipate one or more further H1N1 spikes this academic year, as well as seasonal flu during the typical January through April 'flu season,'” the press release stated.

According to Gannett, Vaccination is considered very safe and the best defense against the flu. You cannot get the flu from the flu shot. Adults and children over the age of 10 only need one dose of each and both vaccines are free for Cornell students, staff and faculty who are vaccinated by Gannett. If you have had the flu in the past six months but did not have your case confirmed through CDC or state testing, you are still urged to get the H1N1 vaccine. There is no harm getting the H1N1 vaccine if you have already had the illness.

While injectable forms of the seasonal flu vaccine are still not available through Gannett due to production and distribution delays, the seasonal FluMist is available by appointment. FluMist is appropriate for people between the ages of 2-49 with no underlying health conditions and are not pregnant. There will be a Seasonal Flu Mist clinic at the Vet School Atrium this Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. The seasonal vaccine is free to all Cornell students, staff and faculty while there is a $30 fee for student spouses and same-sex partners.

You can get the seasonal vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine at the same time if taken in injectable forms or if you take inject one and use mist for the other. If both vaccines are administered in mist form, they should be separated by four weeks time.

Those at high risk for influenza should also consider getting the one-dose pneumococcal vaccine, which protects you against bacterial pneumonia. Individuals who experienced complications — sometimes fatal — from H1N1 influenza also were infected with bacterial pneumonia. At-risk individuals include adults over 65 years old, individuals between two and 64 years with long-term health problems or a condition that lowers the body’s resistance to infection or any adult ages 19 through 64 who smokes or has asthma. This vaccine is also available by appointment at Gannett and from primary care providers. It can be given at the same time as the flu vaccine.