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As the number of swine flu cases seems to be diminishing here, two of the county's four hospitals finally have obtained H1N1 vaccine for employees who have direct contact with patients.
This seemingly backward series of events is a result of insufficient supplies of vaccine nationwide.
Vaccine is arriving in this state "in very limited quantities," according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health Web site.
Lancaster General Health, the county's largest health care system, received its first vaccine late last week.
Ephrata Community Hospital got its first batch Wednesday.
Lancaster Regional Medical Center in Lancaster and Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center in Warwick Township have received no vaccine.
"We have no idea when we will receive any," said Denyse Kling, spokeswoman for the two hospitals. "We are at the mercy of the Department of Health."
The Department of Health recommends that vaccine go first to pregnant women, persons six months to 24 years old, and health care providers and EMS personnel.
LGH is distributing the vaccine to those patients and employees, according to Norma Ferdinand, senior vice president and chief quality and nursing officer.
Pregnant women and children are receiving the vaccine through family health clinics and physician practices associated with LGH.
About 50 percent of LGH's 7,500 employees also are being vaccinated "in stages," Ferdinand said.
The object is to vaccinate "higher risk employees and patients first" and vaccinate all other employees as supplies of H1N1 become available.
Meanwhile, all nonvaccinated employees who work with patients are being urged to wear masks and gloves and frequently wash their hands.
"Be patient," Ferdinand advised nonvaccinated employees, "and we will expand the priority grouping."
Ephrata Community Hospital has just begun providing vaccinations for "key" employees, according to hospital spokeswoman Amy Welsh.
Welsh said that includes "all employees with direct patient contact and all pregnant employees."
Ephrata has not yet received its full order of vaccine, Welsh said, but eventually more employees will receive doses.
Neither LGH nor Ephrata Community requires that employees get vaccinated.
Required vaccinations became an issue briefly a few weeks ago when New York health officials told all health care workers in that state to get vaccinated against swine flu. Some health care personnel sued the state to avoid vaccinations.
The state rescinded the mandate when they discovered there is insufficient swine flu vaccine to innoculate all workers.
Why have only some hospitals here received vaccine?
"Part of it depends on how large you are," said LGH's Ferdinand. LGH is the largest hospital system in Lancaster County.
"We also have adequate storage for both flu vaccines," she added.
Also, LGH ordered swine flu vaccine as a health system, that is, not only for its employees but also its patients.
"Our order was very significant," she said, "and we expect to get the full order."
jbrubaker@lnpnews.com
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