ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- As more people are getting sick from the H1N1 flu virus , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that the production of the H1N1 vaccine is slower than expected . CDC believes that up to 12 million fewer doses of H1N1 vaccine than expected will be available by month 's end . The CDC had hoped that about 40 million doses of H1N1 , or swine flu , vaccine would be available by the end of October . But due to manufacturing delays , `` we think at most it will be 10 to 12 million doses less , '' said Dr. Anne Schuchat , CDC 's director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases . She told reporters Friday that manufacturers are making unprecedented amounts of vaccine , but difficulties growing the vaccine , as well as time-consuming potency and purity testing , are contributing to the delay . `` We are not cutting any corners in the safety of the production of the vaccine or the testing and oversight of the vaccine '' Schuchat explained . As of Wednesday , 11.4 million doses of flu vaccine were available to be ordered and 8 million doses had been ordered by state health departments , the CDC said . Doctors , hospitals and clinics have to order the H1N1 vaccine through their state 's health department . Each state decides how to dole out the vaccine when it becomes available . Schuchat acknowledged that it can be frustrating for people searching for this vaccine now . Availability will be limited for the next week or two , she said . Georgia , for example , is going to get less than half of the amount of H1N1 vaccine that it was expecting to receive this month , state Public Health Commissioner Dr. Rhonda Medows said . In August the federal government told Georgia it would receive 2 million doses by the end of October , but this week officials learned they would receive only 912,000 doses by end of the month . A little more than half of the available doses are flu shots , she said , and the other doses are the nasal flu spray , which is approved only for healthy people between the ages of 2 and 49 . Pregnant women can not take the nasal vaccine . The nasal form first became available on October 5 and the first H1N1 flu shots started shipping this week . The CDC is not expecting widespread availability of the H1N1 vaccine until the end of this month or beginning of November , and `` we know it 's not enough , given the demand , '' Schuchat said . The CDC also is reporting unprecedented flu activity for this time of the year , as flu illnesses , hospitalizations and deaths continue to increase . The amount of flu and pneumonia illness is above epidemic levels , Schuchat said . Watch Dr. Anne Schuchat discuss availability of H1N1 vaccine » . She also said the number of children who had died from the H1N1 virus has risen to 86 , with 43 since August 30 . In a regular flu season , which lasts from September to May , 40 to 50 children usually succumb to flu . Nearly half of the children who died in the past month were between the ages of 12 and 17 , the CDC said . Children and young adults ranging in age from 6 months to 24 years are among those health officials say should be the first to get the H1N1 vaccine . Health care workers , pregnant women and people with underlying illness also should be among the first to get vaccine , they say .
CDC had hoped 8 million doses would be available by end of October . CDC immunization chief : `` We think at most it will be 10 to 12 million doses less '' 10 to 12 million doses had been ordered by states as of August 30 , CDC says . Dr. Anne Schuchat : 10 to 12 million children have died from virus since August 30 .