Swine flu shots available at 14 N.J. Wal-Marts

Fourteen Wal-Mart stores in southern and central New Jersey are offering swine flu shots at walk-in clinics today and tomorrow.

The injection-only form of the vaccine will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis - while supplies last - to all priority groups, said John Roehm, CEO of Mollen Immunization Clinics L.L.C. of Scottsdale, Ariz., which runs the clinics for Wal-Mart. There is no co-pay for those with insurance; others pay $15.

Roehm said New Jersey was one of eight states where vaccine is now available at Wal-Mart pharmacies.

No Pennsylvania Wal-Marts have gotten vaccine. A check of CVS, Rite-Aid, and Walgreens yesterday found no vaccine available in their South Jersey or Southeastern Pennsylvania pharmacies.

But public vaccine clinics are scheduled over the next week in Philadelphia, Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties. (The location of the Delaware County clinic has been changed to Media, but state officials said there was no need to reschedule appointments.)

Meanwhile yesterday, both states reported some of the highest one-week death counts from influenza, which is widely assumed to be swine flu. Officials said the statistics did not mean the disease was worsening.

The deaths of six people, including three from South Jersey, were recorded for the week that ended Saturday. All were adults with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and obesity, state officials said.

The deaths are reported in the state's weekly update to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but only two of them actually occurred last week. The others, all from the previous week, include some cases for which novel H1N1 swine flu was not confirmed by the state laboratory until recently, officials said.

At least 28 people have died from flu-related complications in New Jersey.

Pennsylvania reported 13 deaths last week, including two children under age 18. None were in the southeastern part of the state.

At least 37 people have died of the disease in Pennsylvania.

Details of swine flu vaccine clinics run by Wal-Mart in South Jersey and by health departments in Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia Counties: http://go.philly.com/fluEndText