Two More People Die Of Swine Flu In Md.

Two more people in Maryland have died of swine flu, bringing the state's tally of deaths associated with the H1N1 virus to 12, state health officials said Wednesday.

The two who died were unrelated adults from the Baltimore area with no underlying health problems. Officials confirmed that one of the dead was Walter Brooks Jr., 18, a graduate of North County High School in Glen Burnie, who died Oct. 21.

Maryland is among 46 states nationwide where the virus is widespread, contributing to 279 hospitalizations statewide. Around the country, more than 1,000 people have died of complications from swine flu and more than 20,000 have been hospitalized, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As deaths and hospitalizations continue to rise, public health officers nationwide are struggling with a shortfall of swine flu vaccine, resulting in a shortage even for the groups most susceptible to the virus - children, pregnant women and people with underlying health problems.

State health officials have ordered 420,000 doses of swine flu vaccine and say that more is on the way. Federal officials tried to reassure the public Tuesday that vaccine supplies are increasing and that there will soon be enough vaccine for everyone who wants it. Officials said 22 million doses are now available, up from 14 million last week, much lower than initial predictions of 120 million doses by the end of October.