9 H1N1 Patients In OSUMC Intensive Care

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Thousands of Central Ohioans have waited in lines to get the H1N1 flu vaccine.

Despite the lines, many people haven’t received the shot because of supply problems.

More than 1,000 people stood in line for up to five hours, waiting to get vaccinated Wednesday, so when will production of vaccines speed up to the point that all Central Ohioans can get the shot?

Doctor’s offices aren’t getting the supply they expected and some are turning to Facebook to update patients on the vaccine.

To date, 595,200 doses have come in and been distributed in Ohio. The bulk of the vaccine is being distributed to hospitals and local health departments.

Until the supply increases, doctors are warning that those most at risk—pregnant women and children—should focus on prevention.

“This seems to be a much more severe disease than the seasonal flu. We’ll have a couple of patients get this sick and it’ll often be people with other diseases. This seems to be striking younger, healthier folks,“ said the Ohio State University Medical Center’s Dr. Stephen Hoffman, of Center for Critical Care.

The OSUMC is handling multiple cases of H1N1 influenza.

As of Tuesday, nine patients at OSUMC were in the intensive care unit with H1N1—including two pregnant women.

“It’s a pretty powerful disease at this point,“ Hoffman said.

Hoffman said the medical center has prepared for H1N1 flu cases and what they are seeing in the intensive care unit are young people and pregnant women facing a deadly fight.

“Nobody completely understands why one person gets the flu and has fevers, muscle aches and doesn’t feel well and the next person has that and it progresses to a severe critical illness. It’s not clear why or who,“ Hoffman said.

The Ohio Department of Health said that more than 1,000 Ohioans have been hospitalized with H1N1 since the end of August and at least 15 have died—three of them children.

“We treat them with mechanical ventilation. We treat them with medicines to keep blood pressure up and medicines to support them in any way shape or form,“ Hoffman said.

In new poll, more than half of Ohioans said they’re worried that either they or someone else at home will contract H1N1.

About one-third of the respondents in the University of Cincinnati Ohio Poll said they plan to be vaccinated.

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