State public health officials this week called for public and private providers to continue to offer H1N1 vaccinations even though H1N1 activity has been declining since peaking in October. State Health Director Jeffrey Engel, MD, said the state had received more than 3.5 million doses of vaccine, and all doses had been shipped to approved providers in North Carolina. Speaking during a statewide Web conference with local public health directors, Dr. Engel said the vaccination effort would likely continue through March. The CDC recently expanded the effort by providing vaccine to clinics hosted by big box retailers. Dr. Engel said businesses, church groups, and colleges would be encouraged to host vaccination clinics to ensure as many people as possible would be immunized. More information about H1N1 vaccine is available at http://www.immunizenc.com/.
