U.S. A/H1N1 flu vaccine supply reaches 73 mln doses: CDC

HOUSTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The supply of A/H1N1 flu vaccine has reached more than 70 million doses in the United States, a high-ranking health official announced on Friday.

"As of today there are 73 million doses of H1N1 vaccine available," Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said at an afternoon press conference.

"That's twice the number that were available a month ago, 10 million more than last week, and we expect at least another 10 million doses in the coming week." he added.

A/H1N1 flu has sickened an estimated 22 million Americans, hospitalized about 98,000 and killed 4,000 since it was first identified in April. It has proved to be similar to seasonal flu but a bigger threat to children and young adults.

During the past two months, limited supply of vaccine caused the CDC to advise state and local health officials to reserve doses for the targeted group, which includes pregnant women, children and young adults, health-care workers and people with asthma and certain other health problems.

With more vaccine available, Dr. Frieden said some communities are beginning to offer it to people outside the priority groups.

"The number of communities that do that will increase in the coming weeks," he predicted.

Local reports show that at least three states -- Alaska, Arkansas and Oklahoma -- have begun offering A/H1N1 flu vaccine to all comers.

"We're still in a period of changing gears, from a time of not having enough vaccine, to a time of having adequate supply for anyone to receive shots," Frieden explained.