First Reported Swine Flu Death at UT-Austin

ABC News on Campus reporter Emily Watkins reports:

A staff member at the University of Texas at Austin was hospitalized at St. David’s Medical Center and later died this past weekend due to the H1N1 virus, UT officials confirmed today.

UT officials haven't yet confirmed the woman’s identity, but the local ABC News affiliate KVUE is reporting the staff member is Linda Duran, 42, who worked at UT for 15 years as a “service worker.”

This is the first reported H1N1 death at UT.

“We believe Duran had medically-complicating issues and that it’s is an isolated incident,” said Bob Harkins, Associate Vice President for Campus Safety and Security at UT-Austin.  “I don’t think it’s a concern to the campus.”

Harkins added that they hadn’t seen significant student absences in the classroom due to illness.

Two other people have died in Travis County and 21 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began in April, according to a Sept. 30 statement from Carole Barasch, spokeswoman for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department.

Texas Department of State Health Services officials announced Wednesday that the supply of H1N1 flu vaccine is coming in more slowly than anticipated and the state will receive about half as much H1N1 flu vaccine as it had initially expected.

“Nearly 3.4 million doses of the vaccine had been projected for Texas by mid-October, but the latest estimates are that no more than 1.7 million doses will be available by then,” said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement.

Although the vaccine will trickle in slowly during the next few weeks, the University is preparing for those students who fall ill before the vaccine arrives.

“We have plans in the residence halls to do isolations of individuals that are ill and we have the capability to provide food services to them,” said Harkins. “We’re trying to advise everyone to get their flu shots and the H1N1 vaccine when that becomes available.”

The University Health Services begins their seasonal flu shot clinics next week where they will distribute the regular flu vaccine.

ABC News on Campus journalist Xorje Olivares contributed to this report.