U.S. gov't says A/H1N1 vaccine shortage to be eased this week

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- A/H1N1 vaccine shortages in U.S. could be eased this week with the arrival of 10 million new doses, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius made the above remarks Saturday just one day after president Barack Obama expressed frustration about the slow pace of production of the vaccine.

As of Friday, a total of 26.6 million doses had been produced, far below earlier estimates of 40 million by the end of October.

Production was now increasing and vaccine doses were being shipped seven days a week, Sebelius told CNN.

Sebelius said those initial estimates were based on "overly optimistic" predictions by the five contracted vaccine makers for the U.S. market -- MedImmune, a unit of AstraZeneca, Sanofi-Aventis, Australia's CSL, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis.

The services initially estimated that 20 million doses would roll out every week, but the companies are currently producing only about 10 million doses a week.

The latest count shows 114 children have been killed by the virus in the United States since April, during a time when there is usually virtually no influenza, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But CDC researchers estimated that as many as 5.7 million people in the United States have been infected so far, with at least 1,300 deaths. The flu has been reporting in 48 states, an unprecedented level.

The swine flu vaccination program began Oct. 5. The delivery of the vaccine has frustrated people worried about the new H1N1 virus.

Sebelius also reiterated United States intends to give 10 percent of its vaccine supply to developing countries but not until people identified as belonging to priority groups at home have been vaccinated.