Many Severe H1N1 Cases Involve Obesity

There's new information tonight that suggests there could be a link to H1N1 and obesity.

A lot of people hospitalized with the virus happen to be extremely overweight..

It raises questions about whether overweight people should be added to the priority list for the vaccine.

We're not talking about people who carry a few extra pounds, we're talking about people who have a serious weight problem.

None of this means a change in the priority list by the Centers for Disease Control--at least not yet.

Health departments across Eastern North Carolina won't change the priority list unless directed by the state, which follows the CDC guidelines.

One health director told me adjusting the priority to include obesity would increase demand dramatically for a vaccine that's been running short across the country.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at 268 adults in California who either died or were hospitalized with H1N1.

Of those, more than half were obese and 67 were morbidly obese.

The study also found that two-thirds of the obese patients had chronic conditions connected to the serious complications like diabetes, heart disease and asthma.

"All of those can stack the deck against the patients should they become critically ill with H1N1," said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a CBS News medical correspondent.

The study falls short of making a direct connection between severe H1N1 cases and obesity.

That's why the Centers for Disease Control are not changing the vaccine priority list.

People with chronic conditions are already at the top.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services took some heat on Capitol Hill today for the slow development and delivery of the vaccine.

"Yes, we could've invested more and yes we could continue to invest more in the advanced development of all these new techniques and new vaccines,” said Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Dr. Nicole Lurie. “And, I believe that we need to continue to do that.”

It's hit or miss finding the H1N1 vaccine at health departments across Eastern Carolina.

Right now, Pitt County's out of it.

It expects to get more doses this week.

Onslow County has more than a thousand doses of the flu mist.

It has about 350 of the shots for children and 50 shots for adults.

Craven County is out of the mist, but expects to get 800 doses next week.

It has some of the shots, but didn't have an exact count.

However, it's been getting about 200 to 350 doses of the shots a week.

In Craven County specifically, you can get the vaccine for free by appointment.

No lines.