HAUPPAUGE - Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy announced that the county today received its largest shipment of H1N1 influenza vaccine to date.

“I am pleased that we will now be able to offer the H1N1 flu vaccine to many of the people who have been calling our H1N1 hotline requesting to receive the vaccine,” said Levy, noting that the county received 30,500 doses in addition to the 8,400 doses of vaccine that the county had received previously in several shipments since October 5.

“Thus far, approximately 1,200 people have received H1N1 vaccine through the health department's clinics,” said Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Acting Commissioner Linda Mermelstein, M.D., M.P.H.  

Last week the county began to dispense vaccine to residents by appointment at “Points of Distribution” (POD) clinics in Commack and the Mastic Shirley area and continued this week in Oakdale and Riverhead.  These POD clinics will continue throughout the county as long as vaccine is available.

The county expects to be ordering a total of 220,000 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine for this flu season.

Those in the priority groups for H1N1 influenza vaccine who are unable to obtain vaccine from their providers can call the Suffolk County Public Health H1N1 flu hotline at 631-787-2200 to be put on the contact list for the department's POD clinics.