Updated 5:00 PM
ALBANY (AP) -- While some swine flu vaccine doses are being returned to New York state, the Health Department says demand remains strong and many upstate counties are planning clinics over the next two weeks.
The state made a concerted effort last fall to vaccinate people against the H1N1 strain of flu amid an initial fear of shortages.
Department spokeswoman Claudia Hutton says they shipped about 500,000 doses this week in response to demand from providers and pharmacies and more than 5 million doses since October.
She says about 22,000 doses are being returned, almost half nasal spray that's bulkier and has a shorter shelf life.
Some providers in Nassau, Westchester and Rockland counties found they temporarily had too much for cold storage.
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