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ATLANTA, Mar 31, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- U.S. health officials Thursday said 40 million of the 61 million doses of influenza vaccine for this season went to people at most risk for getting the flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 17 million healthy Americans decided to forego a vaccination to make more doses available for high priority groups, such as small children, the elderly, healthcare workers and people with medical conditions that make them more vulnerable.
Vaccine coverage levels among adults in priority groups reach near-record levels for the 2004-05 flu season through January, while coverage rates in other adult groups were about half of historic levels.
Among adults, vaccination coverage was the highest among seniors, at 62.7 percent, followed by healthcare workers at 40.1 percent.
As of March 25, the supply of inactivated vaccine projected for the 2005-06 flu season appears to be adequate to meet demand, the CDC said.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
