Olympics organizers working on access to swine flu vaccine

Vancouver's Olympic organizers say they won't be at the front of the line if a vaccine against swine flu becomes available before the 2010 Games.

However, Dr. Jack Taunton, chief medical officer for the Games, said organizers are in talks with the Public Health Agency of Canada about what kind of access to the vaccine Olympic staff, volunteers and athletes will have.

Canada already has a contract in place for the potential H1N1 vaccine, but athletes and officials coming from other countries may not have such ready access to the drug, which isn't being produced as quickly as hoped.

Taunton said organizers had already secured enough of the regular seasonal flu vaccine and the drug Tamiflu for their 25,000 volunteers and staff.

The World Health Organization said earlier this week that health care workers should be the first to get access to the vaccine.

While organizers have had pandemic plans in place since the early days of the Games, Taunton said they're being revamped in light of the swine flu pandemic.