"We're
on track to have an ample supply rolling by the middle of October. But
we may have some early vaccine as early as the first full week in
October. We'll get the vaccine out the door as fast as it rolls off the
production line," she told ABC's "This Week."
Sebelius said she
is confident the vaccine will be available early enough to beat the
peak of the expected flu season, and that early doses are intended for
health care workers and other high-priority groups, such as pregnant
women and children with chronic illness.
Researchers last week
discovered that one dose of the vaccine instead of two could be enough
for healthy adults, and protection could begin once vaccinated within
10 days instead of three weeks.
"That's great, which means we'll
have a lot more vaccine," Sebelius said. "We also have seen a robust
immune response within 10 days, instead of three weeks as was feared."
The city has offered every school kid a free swine flu vaccine when it becomes available.
The
winter flu vaccine is widely available now, and health authorities
urged people last week to get shots now before swine flu vaccines start
arriving.