The Kahnawake Mohawk territory south of Montreal is far ahead of many Quebec communities in getting people vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus.

Nurses in the community finished administering the vaccine to priority groups on Monday, then started to inoculate the general population until vaccine doses ran out — a pace that is far ahead of schedule compared to every other region in the province.

The reserve's clinic was also accepting people from outside the community, whether they are Mohawk or not, said Dr. Suzanne Jones, Kahnawake pandemic planning co-ordinator.

"They can come here for their vaccines," she said on Tuesday. "Generally, though, we've been telling people who are not from the community to be vaccinated within their own community centres, and to be respectful and mindful of the priority groups."

Florence Phillips, 84, tried to get inoculated at her local vaccine clinic in Verdun, but was turned away.

She travelled to the Kahnawake clinic "and they were wonderful to me," Phillips said. "Didn't say nothing. I told them my story, and they gave me my needle."

Jones said the vaccine is particularly needed in Kahnawake because the Mohawk community has a young population, and has a high rate of chronic disease.

She said about half of the territory's estimated 8,000 population has been vaccinated against swine flu.

The territory's vaccine clinic is closed for the next few days, Jones said, until the next batch of vaccines is shipped to the province.