H1N1 flu, also known as 'swine flu'

Health officials have inaccurately predicted the amount of available vaccine and distributed the vaccine unevenly, critics say.

The Columbia/Boone County Health Department offered the third H1N1 flu vaccine clinic for expanded priority groups Wednesday. Employee Genalee Alexander says there are roughly 22,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine available in Boone County.

The H1N1 vaccine is now available free for healthy people ages 6 months to 24 years and people with a chronic medical condition ages 25 to 64 years.

Even those at extra risk are having trouble getting the vaccine. In fact, half of those who tried couldn't find information about where to get the vaccine, according to the Harvard School of Public Health poll.

Two Columbia elementary schools began distributing the H1N1 vaccine to students who received parental consent. Columbia Public Schools will offer the vaccine to all students in the district as it becomes available.

Next week's clinics are still on the calendar for now, but the health center will cancel clinics again if the H1N1 vaccine isn't available.

The Health Department had 700 vaccines for the clinic and administered the shot to more than 500 children by the end of the day, department spokeswoman Geni Alexander said. Depending on the continued availability of the H1N1 vaccine, the Health Department will decide whether to hold future clinics.

The city's Health Department will be holding walk-in appointments Wednesday to vaccinate children between 6 months and 4-years-old only.

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health has received fewer H1N1 vaccinations than expected but expect to receive more eventually. The state Health Department expected 800,000 vaccines but has received only 170,000 so far.

Faced with the challenges of a difficult production method and the need to create two kinds of flu vaccine, vaccines for the H1N1 flu vaccine are significantly behind. So far,  13 million doses of the promised 120 million have been disbursed.

Columbia hospitals are encouraging health care workers to get the H1N1 vaccine. Other states are turning away visitors in hopes it will help limit the spread of the virus. No changes in visitation policies are being considered at Columbia hospitals.

Under Missouri law, pregnant women and children under 3 aren't supposed to receive vaccines with the mercury-based preservative thimerosal.

Missourians can call 877-FLU-4141 to ask questions about H1N1 flu, from symptoms to the availability of the vaccine.

An estimated 70 students were absent from Columbia Public Schools this week due to influenza, though it isn't certain how much the H1N1 strain is affecting the schools.

The H1N1 flu virus has not been as bad as originally anticipated, but the battle is not over yet. Health officials are concerned that the virus could mutate into a deadlier strain, or that it will team with the regular winter flu season to overwhelm hospitals.

Half of the child deaths reported recently have been teenagers.

Cooperation between the Columbia School District, City Council and county agencies will provide free H1N1 vaccinations to public school students.

The amount of vaccine in each shipment will increase over the next few weeks, according to a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services.

Some countries are more prepared, or even over-prepared, to deal with the H1N1 virus than some of their third world counterparts. Many people are concerned that vaccine supplies will not be adequate.

The AP poll found that 38 percent of parents said they were unlikely to give permission for their kids to be vaccinated at school. The reasons for not vaccinating include concerns for side effects of the vaccine and that H1N1 is not a greater health risk than the seasonal flu.