Doctors could start to vaccinate patients against swine flu by mid-October, as the number of cases shows a 50% rise. Sky News has seen details of the Department of Health's vaccination timetable which shows that hospitals and mental health units are expected to receive the first doses on October 14.
A box of 500 doses will be sent initially, which will be used to immunise staff and the patients most vulnerable to serious complications of flu. Deliveries to GP surgeries will start on October 19. They will also be sent just 500 doses at first.It could take up to two weeks for every GP practice to receive their initial allocation. GPs will be told ahead of time when to expect supplies so they can book in patients at risk.
The details were given in a letter to the NHS from the health department's director of immunisations, Professor David Salisbury. The Department of Health had been expecting 4.7m doses to be delivered by the end of September. But it has just 300,000 doses of the what 's known as the Baxter vaccine, which hasn't yet been approved by the European medicines regulator.
And GlaxoSmithKline, which gained approval for its vaccine this week, has yet to deliver any doses - though Sky understands that deliveries should start shortly.
England's chief medical officer,Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, said there had been 14,000 new cases of swine flu in the last seven days - a 50% rise over the previous week ... read more ...
