ATLANTA -- People anxious to get a flu shot might now have another chance.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced Thursday that the United States is buying 100,000 more adult vaccinations and 150,000 pediatric vaccinations from Aventis Pasteur.

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Thompson said the adult doses are expected to arrive at state health departments by the end of the week. The pediatric doses should be ready to be shipped by January, he said. The number of doses each state receives will be based on population.

Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said 100,000 doses seems small compared to the 83 million doses that were available at the beginning of the season. But that's all the company had in reserve. And by focusing the doses to those who need it most, she said officials are hoping it will make a difference.

She said those who should be first in line for flu vaccines are people over 65, children 6 months to 23 months, people with chronic illnesses, and women in second or third trimester of pregnancy.

Gerberding said the government is working with another company, Chiron, to possibly buy doses of a vaccine approved in Britain but not in the United States.

Flu Outbreak Expands To 24 States

Federal officials said Thursday the flu has hit hard in 24 states, nearly doubling the number since last week and including almost the entire Western half of the country.

Gerberding said the flu has hit all 50 states at least sporadically, and the season has not yet peaked nationally.

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Gerberding said it's possible cases may be leveling off in some of the hardest-hit states, but it's too soon to tell. She said some of the most seious cases have been part of the Fugian strain, which is not covered in the vaccine. But the vaccine may still provide some protection against this flu strain, she said.

It might seem like the flu is hitting especially hard, but Gerberding said there's no evidence the flu is worse than in past years. She said it's too early to say how it compares overall. But she said the disease's early start and early widespread activity has caused concern for officials and for the public.

But one silver lining from this year's outbreak may be to educate the public that flu shots are a priority, Gerberding said.

"On average, 36,000 people die every year from influenza, and many of those deaths are preventable," she said at a news conference.

On Thursday, the CDC added Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island and West Virginia to the list of states with widespread flu activity.

The CDC had already identified Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming as states with widespread reports.

The early and intense outbreak in some Western states has swamped many hospitals with sick children and dried up vaccine supplies.

As far east as Ohio, several schools closed for the rest of the week because so many students are absent with the flu. At least 11 children have died nationwide in the outbreak.

Flu and its complications are the sixth leading cause of death nationally among children 4 and younger. But the CDC said it is particularly concerned about a staph infection that is resistant to common drugs.

One epidemiologist with the influenza branch of the CDC said some children have died from the staph infections, a phenomenon the CDC has not seen before.

Flu complications for children have always been dire: pneumonia, kidney, heart failure and possible brain damage. But this year, young flu patients have swamped hospitals in some states and surprised doctors with the severity of their illnesses.