Two northeast Indiana counties will invite the general public to receive the H1N1 vaccine beginning next week.

Noble and Steuben counties released vaccine clinic schedules this week that include dates for children and adults of all ages with or without health conditions. At least two other area counties said they are a few weeks away from making the same decision.

Until now, area counties have focused on giving the vaccine to several priority groups of patients considered at high risk of developing complications from the H1N1 strain of the flu, also known as swine flu.

State health officials continue to urge counties to focus on the priority groups. But the decision on how to distribute the vaccine is left to local health officials, said Melissa Dexter, spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Health.

Steuben County Health Officer Dr. Ted Crisman decided last week that it was time to lift the restrictions based on the lack of demand from the priority groups, he said.

“We’re not able to consume all of the vaccine that we currently have when we limited it to the high-risk populations. We’re having vaccine left over. We want to use all of our resources. We don’t want any of it wasted or left unused,” Crisman said.

At recent clinics, the Steuben County Health Department had 1,000 doses of vaccine available but only a few hundred people seeking vaccinations. Area doctors’ offices also have not seen a high demand from high-risk patients and have not depleted their supply of vaccine, he said.

Although interest has waned among priority groups, other people including police officers, firefighters and the elderly need and want H1N1 protection, Crisman said.

“We really want to be able to get it to them,” he said.

In Steuben County, fewer than 4,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered, Crisman said.

Noble County health nurse Brenda Patton said the decision to expand the vaccine availability was made during a weekly flu meeting with county officials Tuesday morning.

Although demand was holding steady at the county’s clinics, the county’s health officer decided it was time to offer the vaccine to other groups, Patton said.

The county has vaccinated an estimated 30 percent to 40 percent of its priority group population, she said.

It could be a few weeks before Allen County Health Commissioner Deborah McMahan evaluates whether to make a similar decision, said John Silcox, spokesman for the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health.

McMahan will consider various factors including how busy the public clinics are at Carew Medical Park, Silcox said.

Lines are short compared with the hours-long waits seen in early October when the vaccine was first available, he said.

Kosciusko County officials are also considering whether to lift restrictions and could open the vaccine to the general public in a few weeks, health administrator Bob Weaver said.

Marcia Surine, a registered nurse with the Wells County Health Department, said interest in the vaccine has waned as the number of flu cases has declined.

But health officials still want people, especially those at higher risk, to get vaccinated, she said.

“I think people are getting a false sense of security,” Surine said. “They still need it. It’s still out there. There are still people dying from it.”

Wells County officials have not discussed expanding eligibility yet, she said.

aiacone@jg.net