“The state health department is working with the school districts to set up the process for providing vaccines to the schools,” said Cape Superintendent George Stone.

Stone said packets of information, including permission slips, were sent to Cape parents at the start of this week. He said vaccinations are being coordinated by the state. “All of our nurses are doing a great job cooperating with the health department,” said Stone.

The process is a complicated one, said Stone, with some groups set to receive a nasal spray and others an injection.

Mariner Middle School Principal Brian Donahue reported a slight increase in illness-related absenteeism, said Stone. It has not reached a concerning level, he said.

The Delaware Department of Education is coordinating H1N1 vaccination clinics in schools, said Heidi Truschel-Light, Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman.

On Friday, Oct. 16, health department officials reported the H1N1 vaccine will be more widely available through the state in coming weeks. Cases are on the rise across Delaware, and the department said beginning Monday, Oct. 19, pregnant women should find the vaccine available from their obstetricians.

The vaccine is expected to be available for adults with chronic health problems and for children and people 24 years old and younger, at pediatricians’ and physicians’ offices beginning the week of Oct. 26, according to the Division of Public Health.

The department said vaccine will be more widely available – in schools, colleges, pharmacies and some public-health clinics – in November.

Health department officials are urging Delaware residents to be vaccinated against flu because the normal flu season runs through May. They say the H1N1 vaccine is comparable to the seasonal flu vaccine in safety and efficacy.