American Carolyn Atherholtz receives a shot of H1N1 flu vaccine from research nurse Wendy Nesheim during a clinical trial of a new vaccine in Atlanta in August. (John Amis/Associated Press)

A U.S. senator looked longingly at Canada's H1N1 vaccine supply Wednesday, as Americans rushed to get vaccinated against the swine flu virus and some places ran short of doses.

Senator Joe Lieberman, a Democrat from Connecticut, attributed the U.S. shortage in part to countries such as Canada, where H1N1 vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline faced pressure from Ottawa to "fill Canadian needs" for the vaccine before supplying the United States.

Lieberman told the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee he was "not blaming Canada."

Canada's response is understandable, he said, but it highlights how the U.S. urgently needs to expand its own manufacturing capacity for vaccines.

There were long lineups in Rockville, Md., in Columbus, Ohio, where only pregnant women and others at high risk of complications were eligible, and in Boise, Idaho, where H1N1 clinics were suspended because they ran out of vaccine.

Dave Fotsch of the Idaho Health Department said 1,300 doses of the nasal spray vaccine for healthy adults were expected yesterday.

"They didn't arrive," he said.

Some places in the U.S. are taking alternative approaches, including:

• Wiping clean handrails on buses in Texas.
• Discouraging handshakes and no longer sharing holy water at a church in New Mexico.
• Sidelining half of the men's university basketball team in Seattle because players have flu-like symptoms.

Across the United States, 88 schools have been closed to contain outbreaks.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said vaccine production in the U.S. is behind schedule, and the shot won't be widely available until mid-November. So far, the U.S. has mainly offered a nasal spray form of the vaccine, which is only approved for use in healthy adults, not high risk groups.

Vaccine approved in Canada

Canadian Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced Wednesday that she has given the green light for the H1N1 vaccine to be rolled out across the country.

Health Canada authorized the H1N1 vaccine that includes an adjuvant, or booster, based on a German trial involving 130 adults. The regulator also reviewed several other trials that studied various components of the vaccine, including the adjuvant.

Canadian clinical trials will look at 2,000 people at 30 sites across the country. The main goal is to determine which dosage of the vaccine, with or without the adjuvant, will provide the best immunity to the general public. Groups being tested include seniors, aboriginal people and those with compromised immune systems.

U.K. health workers get shots

In the United Kingdom, health care workers started rolling up their sleeves for the H1N1 shot on Wednesday. They are the first to get the vaccine under Britain's vaccine campaign, but normally about 17 per cent of Britain's nurses and doctors get a seasonal flu shot.

Britain's initial round of the campaign targets 11 million people. Next week, the campaign will move to doctors' offices, where pregnant women and chronically ill people will be able to get shots.

In recent weeks, swine flu cases have doubled about every two weeks in England. Last week, officials estimated there were about 27,000 new cases. Britain has ordered enough vaccine to cover its entire population of about 60 million people.

Australia and China have already begun their swine flu vaccination campaigns for parts of their populations.

It takes about two weeks to develop immunity after receiving the vaccine, experts say.

With files from The Associated Press