P.E.I. health officials announced high-risk groups will begin getting the swine flu vaccine on Monday.

The province received 8,000 doses of the vaccine on Monday, to be distributed first to:

• Health-care workers.
• People in contact with children less than six months old.
• Children between six months and who are of school age.
• People under age 65 with chronic conditions.
• Care providers of people with compromised immune systems.
• First Nations people.

“We know that there is enough vaccine for every person who needs and wants it in P.E.I. and, starting next week, staff will begin to offer the vaccine to those who would benefit most from immunization against the H1N1 flu virus,” said Health Minister Doug Currie.

The second week of immunization will target children in elementary schools and first responders, followed by the junior and senior high school population and pregnant women.

Health officials said that by the time pregnant women are to be vaccinated, the province should have enough doses without an adjuvant, a booster designed to make the vaccine more effective.

That version of the vaccine will be given to pregnant women because there is not enough data on the safety of the additive for them.

After the third week of immunization, mass public clinics will open in the rest of the province for anyone wanting an H1N1 flu vaccine. It will be delivered free by public health nurses.

"No one wants one of their own family members, or themselves, to be in that small group of people who gets very ill," said Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.'s chief public health officer. "I am hoping we have a large uptake."

The Health Department said announcements will start next week on the times and locations of the vaccination clinics.

Peter Hooley, a family doctor, said many of his patients have been asking about the swine flu vaccine.

"As a lot of people are aware, there was a death last week of a teenage boy in Ontario, so the day after that there were a lot of questions, and certainly a little bit of panic," he said.