Swine Flu Vaccine Works in One Dose

An Australian H1N1 vaccine has been surpassing expectations in its clinical trials, inoculating patients after a single injection, the New York Times reports. That means the supply of the vaccine will go further and cost less. It should now be possible to inoculate all of the estimated 159 million people the CDC says are at high risk, well before the disease’s midwinter peak.

Though the first study was conducted in Australia, US trials are already underway, and the company, CSL Limited, expects similar results. The federal government has already ordered millions of doses of the vaccine. “This is definitely a big deal,” said one vaccine expert. “People had been planning for a scenario that would require two doses. This will take the edge off the nail-biting.” (More H1N1 virus stories.)