UF clinic distributes swine flu nasal spray vaccine

University of Florida students turned out early Wednesday to receive the H1N1, or swine flu, vaccine at the UF Student Health Care Center.

The center scheduled its first mass vaccination clinic after receiving 800 doses of the H1N1 FluMist nasal spray from the Alachua County Health Department.

Students registered online Tuesday, and the 800 available slots were filled by 8:30 p.m., according to Dr. Phillip Barkley, director of the Student Health Care Center. That was just 24 hours after the opening of the Web site.

SHCC workers began administering doses of FluMist to 100 students an hour, beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Four nurses administered the nasal spray, while another four people checked in students outside the infirmary building. The online registration assured that there were no long lines.

Things went so smoothly, Barkley said, that they could have processed even more students between 9 and 4, if the vaccine had been available.

Some students who had not signed up in advance were turned away, as were a few others who could not be given the FluMist, which contains a live but weakened form of the H1N1 virus.The nasal spray is intended for healthy individuals under the age of 25 and students who qualify can receive it free.

In a few cases, some students who claimed a slot Tuesday did not show up at the infirmary.

Barkley said he did not know when the SHCC would receive additional vaccine.

"When the Health Department lets us know, we will move forward quickly," he said.

UF students are advised to check the Student Health Care Center Web site for announcements of upcoming H1N1 flu vaccine clinics.