Las Vegas NowHealth District May Make H1N1 Vaccine Available to Everyone

Health District May Make H1N1 Vaccine Available to Everyone

LAS VEGAS -- Tens of thousands of Nevadans are still waiting for their chance to get the H1N1 vaccine. So far, only the five priority groups have been eligible, but the state and local health districts are looking to possibly open it up to everyone in the very near future.

The line outside the health district to get the vaccine has dwindled compared to a few weeks ago. Still, thousands of Nevadans are being forced to wait for the vaccine. People like Karen Dupras say enough is enough. "Priority groups, I think they should have been done with theirs and they could be down here getting it right now if they were concerned about getting it," she said.

For six weeks, a national shortage in the vaccine supply put healthy Las Vegans near the bottom of the list. But on Wednesday, the Nevada State Health Division might change the rules. State and local health leaders will discuss opening up the vaccines to everyone.

"This is something that we knew was going to happen eventually. We anticipate that it will probably happen before the end of the year but when we make this decision it is going to be based on the vaccine stocks that we have in place," said Ben Kieckhefer with the Department of Health and Human Services.

So far, the state says they've distributed more than 477,000 doses of the vaccine. The Southern Nevada Health District currently has 50,000 doses in stock. "We feel like we have hit those populations well over these first couple of months, so the rest of the populations that want vaccine, they are asking to get it," said Kieckher.

Durpas says getting everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible should be the ultimate goal. "There are people and children dying from it. That shouldn't be happening nowadays. We want them to get vaccinated so they aren't spreading," she said.