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FORT WORTH — Tarrant County public health officials on Tuesday confirmed a sixth death from H1N1 influenza, a man in his late 50s who died last month.
They declined to say whether he had a medical condition that increased his risk of complications from the illness.The county does not expect to get any H1N1 vaccine this week, officials said.But when more arrives, the health department will dispense it quickly, said Lou Brewer, the county’s public health director. As vaccine becomes available, distribution details and other information will be posted on the department’s Web site, http://health. tarrantcounty.com.Also, people should check with physicians, hospitals, retail pharmacies and clinics to see whether they have received any vaccine. It could take seven days after the vaccine is received until the shots can be given at clinics held by Tarrant County Public Health. The time is needed to give the state time to hire contract workers to administer the vaccine. Earlier this year, counties were given the option of hiring contract workers or allowing the state to handle it. Tarrant County, which was allotted about $2.6 million for H1N1 vaccine administration, opted to leave the money with the state because the state has a larger pool of workers to draw from, county spokesman Marc Flake said. The federal government has left it up to each state to decide how to distribute the vaccine, said Llelwyn Grant, a spokesman for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.JAN JARVIS, 817-390-7664
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