PRINCETON --  Princeton has begun a very limited administration of H1N1 vaccinations as it, like many municipalities, awaits larger supplies of the swine flu vaccine, which have yet to materialize.

   ”Right now, there are only 200 doses of this vaccine,” Princeton Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said in an update on the situation presented to members of the Princeton Borough Council and the Princeton Township Committee at a joint meeting on Monday night.

   Mr. Bruschi said the 200 doses would be administered by the Princeton Health Department in upcoming days, primarily to children, beginning with a clinic Wednesday afternoon at Princeton High School.

   The Health Department has budgeted $88,000 to administer H1N1 vaccinations for the season, Mr. Bruschi said. He said the department didn’t know exactly the resources it would have to devote to swine flu prevention because it had no experience with the new vaccination. He said he had heard there was 15 minutes of data entry required after every vaccination.

   Princeton originally requested 10,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine before eligibility protocols were established, Mr. Bruschi said in an e-mail after the meeting. The Health Department does not expect to receive the amount of doses it originally requested, he said.

   ”New Jersey is one of the states that has been hit the least hard (by swine flu) of all the states in the country,” Mr. Bruschi said at the Monday meeting.

   Most of those who contract the illness are lightly hit and not even aware they have swine flu, thinking instead they’ve just come down with the regular flu, he said.

   Mr. Bruschi said President Barack Obama’s recent declaration of a state of emergency over swine flu was more the result of the federal government’s interest in setting in motion protective measures triggered by such a declaration than it was an indication of the disease’s gravity.

   He said the federal government expects to receive 50 million doses of H1N1 vaccine by mid-November and 150 million by mid-December.

   ”I would just say be patient,” Mr. Bruschi said of the shortage of vaccine. “We don’t know how fast this is going to come.”

   In the meantime, the Health Department recommended taking basic precautions to avoid contracting, and passing on, swine flu, Mr. Bruschi said. Citizens should maintain good hygiene, washing hands regularly, and “if you are sick, stay at home.”

lotis@centraljersey.com

Staff photos by Mark CzajkowskiChildren, accompanied by their parents, line up for H1N1 vaccinations at Princeton High School on Wednesday. Sophomore Ghita Chraibi, right, receives the nasal spray variety of the vaccine.

Staff photo by Mark CzajkowskiAda Chen, a senior, receives the H1N1 swine flu vaccine via injection at Princeton High School on Wednesday.