Mass Clinics Give 170K-Plus Flu Shots In Ark.

State health officials say 172,873 doses of seasonal and swine flu vaccine were given in mass clinics around Arkansas late last week.

A news release Tuesday from the state Health Department said 148,961 doses of seasonal flu vaccine and 23,912 doses of vaccine against swine flu, also known as the H1N1 strain, were given to Arkansans on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Dr. Paul Halverson, director of the Health Department, said that, because of the extreme shortage of swine-flu vaccine, those doses were limited to children 6 months to 4 years, other children 5 to 18 with underlying medical conditions and pregnant women.

The release said that, as Arkansas gets more of the swine-flu vaccine, it will continue to be given to those priority groups first.