Health department officials were at the Preston County Commission meeting Monday to keep the county up to date on their efforts to combat the spread of the H1N1 flu.

The vaccine is distributed from the state Department of Health and Human Services based on population. Preston County had not been able to secure enough to vaccinate all of the people that fall into the most at-risk population.

The county has only received 2,200 doses of the vaccines over the past two weeks, and that has forced health officials prioritize carefully. So far, 500 young children and pregnant women have received the vaccine through appointments.

"We had to wait until we received enough to be able to offer it to the schools," said Denise Knoebel, the director of the Preston County Health Department, "Between this week and next week we believe we'll have enough vaccine."

Kneobel estimates that the first tier of high-risk people make up about half of the county's population.

The vaccines will be offered first to pre-kindergarten through second grade students, then up through eighth grade. A high school schedule will begin Nov. 30.

"If for some reason there would not be enough vaccine," Knoebel said, "we would need to postpone some of our clinics."

Schools there have seen many of the same absence trends as other counties in the area, though at this point, the health department is still not recommending that schools close because of the swine flu. Knoebel told commissioners that people need to stay calm, but realize the seriousness of the virus and take all necessary precautions to stay healthy. She recommended that schools should determine if large student gatherings outside of the school day are necessary.

There is still a waiting list in the county for the seasonal flu vaccine. As that becomes available, the health department is calling patients in for the shots, chipping away at the 400 name waiting list.

"We're trying to do the best we can," Knoebel said after the meeting.

The department has used federal funds to hire more staff to cope with the high demand, and volunteers are stepping up as well. Knoebel told commissioners that some medical students are spending their community service hours in the busy Kingwood office now.

The commissioners asked Knoebel if the H1N1 flu was on the down side of its seasonal peak.

"I don't know," she said. "I wish I did."