MADISON, Wis. -- The state Department of Health Services said it wants health care providers to stop conducting mass H1N1 flu vaccinations until vaccine supplies increase.

Officials said Tuesday there's a vaccine shortage, which means the priority should be on the high-risk groups. Those groups include pregnant women, health care personnel and people who live with or care for infants 6 months or younger.

They also include children between 6 months and 4 years of age, and children between 5 and 18 years old who have chronic medical conditions, such as asthma or diabetes, that put them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.

"We are asking those who are not in our prime target group now to chill out, step back. If you know people around you who fall into these high-risk groups, help make sure that they find their way to the vaccine. Your turn too will come," said Dr. Seth Foldy, state health officer.

People in the H1N1 high-risk groups can find out where to go to get vaccinated at pandemic.wisconsin.gov or www.wisconsinfluclinic.info or by calling 211.

Area clinics are seeing so many patients coming in with flu-like symptoms that it's becoming more important to triage callers first. It's a practice that state health officials are encouraging.

"We don't want to clog the entire health care system, and there are a lot of people with flu-like symptoms out there. And second of all, we don't necessarily want them in waiting rooms infecting others," Foldy said.

The Meriter Medical Clinic-McKee location is not diagnosing H1N1 over the phone but is asking callers several questions to get those at risk for developing complications of the flu in to see a doctor.

"Most people are going to do just fine on their own just staying at home doing the normal things we encourage them to do: rest, pushing fluids, hand washing, staying away from others so that you don't get others sick," said Dr. Cyndi Pickney, of Meriter Medical Clinic-McKee.

Doctors and nurses are especially screening callers for "red warning flags," like patients who are short of breath or not able to keep down fluids. Pickney said that could be a sign of potential complications that need to be looked at right away.

As area clinics work to reach those most in need, so is the state.

"Our real goal here is to make sure that we focus the limited supply of vaccine that we have on those individuals who are at the highest risk of serious illness as a result of H1N1 or are at the highest risk of transmitting the virus," said Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake.

The limited supply of the vaccine, roughly 400,000 of 700,000 doses, is going to pregnant women, health care workers, infants and children not yet in school and school-age children with chronic medical conditions like asthma or diabetes.

The agency said mass vaccinations can continue when the vaccine becomes more readily available. That could take several weeks.

"Once we feel there is more adequate and more continually adequate supplies of the vaccine available, we will return to the prior policy of making the vaccine available again within those target groups to those who may be interested," said Timberlake.

The DHS said the recommendations are consistent with the guidelines used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A nationwide shortage of the vaccine forced Dane County school clinics to be canceled. More vaccine is expected in Dane County in the next couple of weeks.

For more information on the future clinics, people can contact their health care provider or call the United Way's helpline at 211.