The University Health System has received 3,700 doses of H1N1 vaccine, University Medical Center spokesperson Peter Jump said.
University employees who are in direct contact with patients will receive the first doses of the vaccine, though University health officials are still trying to determine when employees will receive these first vaccinations, he said. The rest of the University community, however, has not received any doses, University spokesperson Carol Wood said, and officials are still unsure when vaccinations for other staff and employees will begin. Students under the age of 24 will have the opportunity to be vaccinated before faculty and staff through immunization clinics and through Student Health. The immunization clinics will take place Oct. 26 in the Aquatic and Fitness Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Nov. 5 in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
"We will not be giving [the vaccine] to faculty and staff until after students receive it," she said.
Additionally, the University Health System also saw its first patient fatality from the disease. The middle-aged man who died this past week had an underlying condition, Jump said.
In all, 88,200 doses of H1N1 vaccine are now available within the state, Virginia Health Department spokesperson Robin Farmer said, and some health care workers have already received vaccinations.
After health care workers have been vaccinated, the state will provide remaining doses to young children, she said. Future allotments will then be given to pregnant women, people with underlying health conditions and anyone under the age of 24. All these groups are expected to be fully vaccinated by the end of October, Farmer said, after which anyone will have access to the vaccine. She expects everyone will have had the chance to be vaccinated for H1N1 by mid-November.
"We're thinking everyone who wants a vaccine should be able to get one," she said.
Fourth-year College student Maggie Guidotti, though, said she is not particularly concerned about contracting H1N1, and added that she felt many of her classmates also are not worried. On the other hand, first-year College student Allison Crouch said some fellow students are concerned about acquiring the virus, particularly in the McCormick Residence Halls, where a few community members have contracted the disease.
"Lots of people are really cautious and kind of concerned," she said. "It comes up a lot and people are making reference to it pretty often."
According to Student Health's Web site, 340 students this semester have been diagnosed as experiencing influenza-like symptoms. Thus far, 27 Health System employees also have been diagnosed, Jump said.
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