Vaccines against the swine flu began to flow in earnest Wednesday, as Miami-Dade health officials said they now have 332,100 doses in both nasal spray and injected versions.

``We also have vaccines for regular seasonal flu, although there are some spotty shortages'' said Lillian Rivera, administrator of the Miami-Dade Health Department. ``It's important that people get both vaccines.''

On Wednesday morning, Dr. Howard Koh, assistant secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, and Rivera toured the Doris Ison Health Center in Cutler Bay to watch vaccinations.

``You're working in the trenches to protect the most vulnerable populations,'' Koh told workers at the clinic. ``This is a time of unprecedented threat, and unprecedented response.''

Maria Aviles, 27, of Homestead was at the clinic to get her shot.

``I work with kids. I'm a nanny,'' she said. And the two children she cares for, 3 years and 18 months, already have had swine flu and recovered. ``I decided I wanted to be protected.''

In Miami-Dade and Broward, until supplies are sufficient to serve everyone, vaccinations are limited to priority groups at greatest risk of harm from swine flu. Those groups are: pregnant women; caretakers of infants under 6 months of age; young people 2 to 24; people 25 to 64 who have chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes or suppressed immune systems; and healthcare workers, emergency personnel and other first responders who might come in direct contact with flu victims.

People over 65, even those with chronic conditions, are not considered a priority group because the CDC believes they have some immunity to H1N1 because of past exposure.

In Miami-Dade, swine flu vaccinations continue in 160 schools served by special health teams. Students at the remaining schools without the health teams will have to get vaccinated by private physicians or at county clinics. The list of schools with health teams, which account for about 55 percent of the school system's 345,000 students, is posted at www.thechildren

strust.org.

Vaccinations are also available for priority groups through private physicians.

In Broward, the health department has received a total of 47,400 doses of H1N1 vaccine as of Wednesday, spokeswoman Candy Sims said. ``We continue to provide vaccinations to all Broward County schools,'' Sim said. ``Our next allocation of vaccine will be provided to schools, obstetricians and hospitals.''

People in other high-priority groups should check with their healthcare providers for vaccine, she said.

A list of Broward places dispensing H1N1 vaccine is not yet available, but will be announced at www.browardchd.org when it is available, she said.

Retail chain pharmacies and supermarkets that have been giving regular seasonal flu vaccines will not start giving swine flu vaccinations until more doses are available, health officials said.

In Washington, D.C., federal officials said they now hope to have about 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine out by mid-November and 150 million in December.

Doses have been arriving more slowly than had been hoped, but Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant Health and Human Services secretary for preparedness, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that ``by the end of November, I think we're going to be pretty well back on track.''

This report was supplemented with material from The Associated Press.

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