THE Ministry of Health says Fiji will be getting 80,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine but it will only cover 10 per cent of the population.
Ministry spokesman Iliesa Tora said the H1N1 Taskforce members met last week to discuss Fiji's status regarding the disease.
"Fiji is now preparing for the second phase of the Pandemic H1N1 2009, with some countries in the northern hemisphere already recording the second phase of attack.
These countries include Mexico, Japan, the United States of America and the United Kingdom,' he said.
Mr Tora said the World Health Organisation would supply the vaccine which should be in the country by early next month.
"The problem for us is that will only cover 10 per cent of the total Fiji population so we will have to clearly identify who will get the vaccines,' he said. He said the WHO had also stated Fiji might not be getting any more vaccine for some time apart from the expected batch so the ministry would have to be wise about its use.
Mr Tora said the WHO recommended at the taskforce meeting that the ministry look at the high risk factors first and prioritise them.
"This includes health care workers, pregnant women, victims of chronic respiratory problems like asthma, diabetics, cancer patients and those who suffer from obesity," said Mr Tora.
