Health minister clarifies school flu closures, swine flu vaccine deliveries

Health minister Dana Jurásková has said that schools can close for a week if between 15 and 20 percent of pupils are affected by flu. The minister added that around 95,000 doses of vaccine against swine flu should be available in the next days. A further around 100,000 should follow by the end of the year, she added. Around half of the first batch of vaccine would be sent to doctors so the chronically sick could be treated with the rest going to vaccination centres for treatment of priority groups such as patients on dialysis and pregnant women. The minister said the number of Czechs infected by swine flu is not clear. So far three people have died from the virus.