The second order will be comprised of another 100 doses of nasal vaccine for the same age group and 200 doses of injectable vaccine for children 36 months to 48 months of age, he said.
"Most of the first two batches of doses of nasal vaccine will go to health care providers, including doctors and nurses, who come in direct contact with patients," Trent said.
Statewide, the first batch of vaccines will total some 24,000 doses, and the second batch will add up to 72,000 doses, Trent said.
"We're not sure what our third order will be or what the orders will be for each of the next few weeks after that," he said. "This is a week-to-week process, and every week the state notifies (county health departments) of our allotments, which are based on population, and then we order accordingly."
Trent said he is putting the final touches on a plan detailing when and where the vaccines will be dispensed.
"A number of local physicians and pharmacists have agreed to be involved in administering the vaccines," he said. "We are now trying to set up where the clinics will be and what hours they will be open."
Trent said county health departments in the area will be announcing the location and hours of the vaccination clinics once the vaccines have arrived and dispensation plans are finalized.
The vaccines administered under the auspices of health departments will be free.
"The federal government paid for the vaccines, so we won't be charging a fee for the vaccine or for administering it," he said.
Trent said the number of H1N1 cases in the area and around the state is so large and growing that the state health department has stopped collecting the data on cases on a regular basis.
"The state lab is receiving samples from around the state from pregnant women who have flu-like symptoms and people who are in institutionalized settings, such as schools, boarding homes, nursing homes, hospitals and prisons with flu-like symptoms, and 99 percent-plus of those samples have turned up positive for H1N1," he said.
The test results prove that H1N1 is "widespread and everywhere in the state," Trent said.
"The good news is that the H1N1 that is occurring is not a virulent form, although there have been four deaths from it in Kentucky so far," he said. "In fact, the H1N1 we've been seeing isn't as serious as the seasonal flu we usually experience."
And so far this fall, seasonal flu has been virtually non-existent in the area and the state as a whole, Trent said.
"The test results that showed nearly 100 percent incidence of H1N1 in those people sampled prove not only the widespread nature of H1N1 but also that there is no seasonal flu activity occurring."
Few cases of seasonal flu
Trent's comment about the virtual absence of seasonal flu cases echoed an observation made on Wednesday by Dr. William Hacker, commissioner of the state public health department.
"At this point, we are not yet seeing the seasonal type of influenza circulating, so there is still plenty of time for Kentuckians to get their flu shots and be protected," Hacker said in a public health department media release to The Advocate-Messenger.
The department reported earlier this week that plenty of seasonal flu vaccine should be available statewide over the months ahead.
However, the department said it had received reports of temporary shortages in some areas due to early, increased demand.
"We encouraged individuals not to delay getting their annual seasonal flu shots this year, with vaccine arriving earlier than usual in many places around the state," said Hacker. "What we're experiencing now are some spot shortages due to increased uptake earlier than normal, but at this time we expect those to be temporary."
Hacker said flu vaccine manufacturers typically keep shipping vaccine into November and December — or even later — and the federal government says an adequate supply of seasonal flu vaccine will ultimately be available this year.
