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Free swine flu shots will be available to all Dallas County residents starting next week.

County health officials decided Tuesday that it was time to expand the vaccination effort beyond the high-risk groups that have received the scarce H1N1 shots since October. Three walk-in vaccination clinics will get under way next Tuesday.

"We felt like we got the vaccine out to the priority groups and that their interest in getting the shots was waning," said Zachary Thompson, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services. "If we don't do it now, we may end up having to throw out vaccine that we don't use."

County health officials said they were concerned that people were being turned away from local pharmacies where they had sought the shot but did not meet the guidelines. Local pharmacists complained to the county that their longtime customers, including elderly people who were the most vigilant about getting annual flu shots, were being denied.

It is not known yet if local pharmacies that have the H1N1 vaccine will be able to distribute it more widely. Stores can charge up to $20 per shot.

Thompson said he would consult with area pharmacists later this week. Pharmacies are required to distribute the vaccine to only high-risk groups, which include pregnant women; people 6 months to 24 years old; adults ages 25 to 64 who have chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes; health care workers; and people who care for babies under 6 months old.

"We don't think it's a good idea to keep turning them away, especially when we have vaccine available," Thompson said. "They might not come back later." A spokeswoman for the state health department confirmed that vaccine distribution decisions could be decided locally.

"From a state perspective, we strongly encourage providers to focus on the priority groups to protect those most at risk," said Carrie Williams, assistant press officer for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The state issued a news release late Tuesday urging health care providers to continue to focus on the high-risk groups.

"Texas expects to have enough vaccine in January to make it available to the general population," the statement noted.

However, officials in Tarrant and Harris counties made similar decisions to expand their vaccinations, noting that much more H1N1 vaccine would be arriving soon. The distribution slowdown has been attributed to manufacturing problems.

Harris began mass vaccination clinics last week, said Sandy Kachur, a spokeswoman for Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services. "We think we've achieved a balance of supply and demand."

Dr. Sandra Parker, Tarrant County's health authority, urged Texans to get vaccinated before embarking on holiday travel to areas that could have more severe H1N1 outbreaks. Her county began administering the shots without restriction Tuesday from a dozen clinic locations.

Dallas County has received about 70,000 H1N1 vaccine doses and distributed most of them through mass clinics and local pharmacies over the past few weeks. However, 5,000 doses had not been distributed as of last weekend, indicating it was time to drop the restrictions, Thompson said.

An additional 370,000 doses were distributed through doctors' offices and hospitals.

Some local pharmacies are expecting to receive sizable H1N1 vaccine orders within the next week through the state health department.

"We will have ample supply of vaccine to run clinics across North Texas next week," said John Roehm, spokesman for Mollen Immunization Clinics, which operates inside Walmart stores.

Until the larger vaccine supply arrives, Mollen will administer a more limited supply of flu vaccine at seven Walmart stores in the Dallas area, starting today. Each location will have about 300 doses of vaccine covering H1N1 and seasonal flu, Roehm said. The clinics and their hours of distribution can be found at flushotsusa.walmart.com.

Walmart's clinics will follow the distribution guidelines required by the vaccine supplier – either the state or the county, he noted. "We have to work under whatever guidelines we're given."

A Saturday shot clinic in Richardson, sponsored by Dallas County, will serve only those in the high-risk groups who have made an appointment by calling the county's hotline – 214-819-6001. The free H1N1 shots and nasal mist will be distributed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church at 1220 W. Belt Line Road, Richardson.