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Gov. Gregoire briefed on federal emergency declaration for H1N1 flu response

For Immediate Release: October 30, 2009

OLYMPIA � Leaders of the Obama Administration today notified Gov. Chris Gregoire that remaining supplies of antiviral medications to help kids fight H1N1 flu are being released to states, and said the president�s emergency declaration should help states respond to the outbreak more efficiently.

Gregoire and the nation�s governors were briefed this morning by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden. The governors were informed that the remaining 300,000 bottles of Tamiflu for children will be shipped from the Strategic National Stockpile to states, starting next week. Washington received more than 6,200 bottles in the first week of October and will receive nearly 5,100 more bottles next week from the new additional supplies.

The briefing included an update on production delays effecting delivery of H1N1 vaccine. By next week, a half-a-million doses of the vaccine will have been sent to Washington. With production slower than expected, it�s important that high risk people get vaccinated first.

�I got my seasonal flu shot, but I�m waiting my turn for the H1N1 vaccine,� said Gregoire. �I�m not in any of the high risk groups who are being hit harder by this virus. I know that more vaccine is on the way, and there�ll be plenty for people like me who are at lower risk for H1N1 infection. We must let those at high risk be first in line for vaccine.� Gregoire noted that federal health leaders expect more than 200,000 additional doses to be available to Washington in the first week of November.

The governor receives regular updates from the state Department of Health on flu activity in Washington, which is considered widespread. Almost all flu cases right now are caused by the H1N1 virus, but the start of seasonal flu is just around the corner, typically peaking January through March.

�I urge everyone to get the seasonal flu vaccine, and find out if you�re at higher risk for H1N1 infection,� said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. �If you�re like me and you�re waiting your turn for H1N1 vaccine, keep doing your best to avoid the spread of flu by washing your hands, covering your cough and sneeze, and staying home when you�re sick. When there�s more H1N1 vaccine, get vaccinated.�

Federal leaders told the nation�s governors that President Barack Obama�s recent emergency declaration will help states respond to the H1N1 outbreak more efficiently. It gives states flexibility to dispense antiviral medications more quickly, by temporarily removing some Medicare, Medicaid, and federal privacy requirements that often slow the medical community�s response to disease.

�Washington has already seen 15 deaths related to influenza since the current season started in mid-September, and hundreds of others have been hospitalized,� said Gov. Gregoire. �We all must take the flu seriously.�