Emergency

Where Are the Swine Flu Vaccines?

Outbreak widespread in 46 states.

As President Barack Obama declared the swine-flu outbreak a national emergency on Saturday, enabling hospitals to provide quicker treatment, vaccines still lag behind the number requested by states. Only 16 million doses of the vaccine are available now, far below the 30 million expected by the end of the month. With the outbreak widespread in 46 states, and officials saying the H1N1 virus has killed more than 1,000 Americans and hospitalized over 20,000, some states are requesting 10 times the amount they have been allotted, reports The New York Times. The White House emphasized, though, that the declaration of emergency was not a sign that the outbreak will get worse and was largely an administrative move.