ENCINO (The New York Times News Service) -- Hundreds of people came from as far away as San Diego Friday to stand in long lines for swine flu vaccine at the Balboa Sports Complex -- one of the first of 64 free clinics that will open over the next three weeks in Los Angeles County's largest ever vaccination campaign.

While the clinics are designed for the uninsured, they are expected to draw throngs of people with health insurance who fear they will not be able to get vaccines at their personal physicians' offices.

County officials are not turning anyone away, but are asking those with insurance to wait until the doses become available through their health programs.

Demand for the novel H1N1 flu virus vaccine has surged largely because doses have arrived later and in much smaller quantities than expected.

The respiratory disease caused by the virus, whose symptoms are virtually the same as the seasonal flu, has sent more than 400 people to the hospital and has killed at least 60 in the county so far this year, county health officials said.

"I don't want to wait. I have to take care of my 5-month-old grandson," said Cheryl Shapiro, 56, of Northridge. "I want to get this over with."

Shapiro has insurance, but her doctor does not have the vaccine yet.

Because she takes care of an infant under 6 months old, Shapiro falls into one of the high priority groups who public health officials urge to get the vaccine.

Others prioritized to get the inoculation include pregnant women, people aged 6 months to 24 years, health care personnel and adults from 25 to 64 who have health conditions.

The federal government had promised more than 100 million doses of the swine flu vaccine by now but only 13 million have arrived in the country.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the county's Public Health Department, called the delay "frustrating." More than 1.3 million doses were shipped to California on Oct. 21 with the county receiving 300,000 and offering them through injections and nasal spray.

"It's coming later than we want and in smaller quantities," Fielding said. "But the good news is that it has arrived."

Worldwide, nearly 5,000 people have died from swine flu since it emerged this year and spread into a global epidemic, according to the World Health Organization.

It has caused at least 95 child deaths in the U.S. since April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those deadly statistics were enough to spur one San Diego family to rise at 3 a.m. Friday, drive to the Balboa Sports Complex and inoculate their two boys, ages 7 months and 2 years.

"We thought the risk was just too high to wait," said Carlo Niguidula, 44, who has health insurance but could not find the swine flu vaccine in San Diego.

His family was among the 500 people who showed up at the Balboa complex Friday.

The swine flu vaccine should be available at chain store pharmacies in early November.

Leading by example, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa did not receive a swine flu shot Friday because he has no underlying conditions.

Instead, he'll wait until the vaccine is more widely available.

But County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky did receive the shot Friday, because he struggles with diabetes, which puts him at a higher risk.

"I'm going to wait my turn," Villaraigosa said Friday at a press conference. "We want to get the priority groups first."

Across the country, there are annually 30 million cases of the seasonal flu, which lead to 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths, according to the CDC.

Because the swine flu outbreak was first recognized in April, there is no similar annual comparison.

However, flu-related hospitalizations and deaths are rising nationwide and are above what is expected for this time of year, according to the CDC.

This week, for example, 11 flu-related pediatric deaths were reported across the country with 9 of them confirmed swine flu cases.

Overall though, the death rates from swine flu should compare to a moderate year of seasonal influenza, said Marc Lipsitch, a doctor at Harvard University who spoke during a presentation last month to the national Institute of Medicine.

Dionne Huston, 55, of Encino lined up for her swine flu shot early Friday morning and had packed her breakfast to eat while waiting for the clinic doors to open.

After her husband lost his job in advertising two years ago, the family has survived on savings and unemployment checks. The former actress was thankful for the free swine flu shot.

"We thought it was the right thing to do," Huston said.

Copyright 2009 The New York Times News Service. All rights reserved.