CHESAPEAKE -- A shortage of the H1N1 virus means that in some cities, public school children are eligible for vaccines while students in private schools just have to wait.
Many parents are not happy about it. They say not all children are created equal when it comes to swine flu shots.
"I think it's terrible when the public school children are being afforded the opportunity thru the schools and the private school kids aren't being given the same opportunity," said private school parent Susan Harris.
Her mission is to find a swine flu shot for her 9-year-old daughter. She attends Greenbrier Christian Academy in Chesapeake and there's no shot in her immediate future.
"I called my doctor's office they don't have them, and the VDH says they're not scheduled to come in."
A check of the seven biggest cities in our area showed only four that will allow any child to get a vaccine at the health department: Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Suffolk.
The Virginia Department of Health decided to make the vaccines available first in public schools. Private school kids likely will get turned away if they show up to the public school clinics.
"It has to do with liability, several of the legal issues that go along with that," said Erin Sutton of the Virginia Beach Health Department.
Health departments plan to have vaccines available to all kids as soon as more vaccines arrive.
Will that take weeks, months, or days?
"I wish I could tell you the answer to that. Wish I could say it will be here tomorrow, but we just don't know," said Sutton.
When ample supply of the vaccine is available, the Virginia Beach Health Department will set up clinics at the department to administer the vaccine to the public. Chesapeake's health department is working on similar plans.
Health officials also urge the public to continue checking for H1N1 vaccine availability at primary care physician offices.
There is one exception we know about. Hampton's health department says any child can appear at any public school shot clinic and receive a vaccine.
As far as the shortage, the state has only received about five percent of its order for H1N1 vaccine.
