The Public Health Department says Kern County has received 10,000 additional doses and all are going to private physicians. The doses of the swine flu vaccine are expected to arrive at doctors' offices sometime this week.
Doctors say they will be giving the doses only to those who need it first: those in the high risk groups.
At Preferred Family Care on the Truxtun Avenue extension, the bottom half of their refrigerator is empty. It is reserved for the H1N1 vaccine when it arrives.
Dr. Raj Patel says they have about 650 patients on their waiting list for the vaccine. "We are getting everyday, several phone calls, regarding whether we have it or not, did we receive it or not," Dr. Patel said.
Kim Rodriguez with the Kern Public Health Department says 10,000 doses were shipped to local practioners last night. The vaccines were in both the shot and the nasal mist form.
Over at Highgrove Medical Center on North Chester Ave., Dr. Hemmal Kothary says patients are constantly calling, asking when the H1N1 vaccine will arrive. "We actually did get a call two days ago that our shipment has been shipped," Dr. Kothary said. "So any day now."
Dr. Kothary says his medical center will only be receiving the shot form, although he did request the nasal mist spray as well.
As far as cost, the shot itself has been paid for by the government. But patients may be charged a fee to cover the clinic's cost.
At Dr. Kothary's office, the price sounds like a bargain. "I think we're going to be charging five dollars," he said.
The cost will cover the syringes, the needles and other supplies. "It's going to be very minimal," Dr. Kothary said.
But like the public health clinics, private doctors will also give priority to high risk groups.
According to the Centers for Disease Control guidelines, the following are eligible for the nasal mist form:
-Healthy people ages 2 through 49
-Healthy adults ages 25 through 49, who live with or care for infants younger than 6 months old
-Health Care and Emergency Medical Personnel
Those in the high risk groups who should receive the shot are:
-Pregnant women
-People with certain chronic medical conditions: heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, obesity, and asthma.
While people who are not in the high risk groups will have to wait until more vaccine supply becomes available, Dr. Raj Patel says he has seen the number of severe swine flu cases decrease in Kern County.
"We used to see 20 a day some two weeks ago, last week we saw about two or three a day, and this week we are seeing barely one a day," Dr. Patel said.
The same is true at Dr. Kothary's clinic.
He believes something as simple as washing hands has played a huge role in keeping the virus from spreading as fast as it did last month.
"I think for the most part, it's not that bad if you're not that sick," he said. "But a lot of people are being more aware of it so less of it is spreading."
