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WASHINGTON Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday the swine flu vaccine "is coming out the door as fast as it comes off the production line."
But at the same time, she acknowledged delays in getting out a sufficient supply for all those demanding it.
"We were relying on the manufacturers to give us their numbers... It does appear now that those numbers were overly rosy," she told one interviewer.
On nationally broadcast news shows, Sebelius said officials now have 16.5million doses, conceding that's millions fewer than needed.
Sebelius said she couldn't predict how widespread the virus will be. Roughly a thousand people have died of it so far in the U.S. But she also said officials do not believe there is yet any cause to close schools and cease other daily activities.
President Obama declared a health emergency over the weekend to give hospitals and health professionals more leeway from federal regulations to respond to the illness.
Asked what advice she would give to people who have waited futilely in line for shots, the secretary replied, "I want them to come back."
She said eventually there will be enough supplies "for everyone."
She appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS's "The Early Show" and NBC's "Today" show.
