The Federal Government spent more than $1.6 billion to manufacture and distribute the vaccines across the country after seeing a high growth in swine flu cases last year.

Mounted cases of swine flu urged the parents to desperately seek out ways to protect their kids. The hard-to-get vaccine was handed out in some surprising places such as, the Royal Caribbean Cruise line, the Headquarters of Drug Giant Merck, the Johnson Space Center and a Department of Energy office in Idaho.

Some financial institutions and other recipients, as well, got doses before some county health departments and doctors' offices, records obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed.

Around 85 percent of the doses in the first six weeks were given to groups most at risk for flu complications, for example-children and other young people, expecting mothers and those with certain health problems as per the estimate given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The movement began in early October, with only 11 million doses shipping in the first three weeks of that month, when swine flu was forcing schools to get closed and approaching its most horrible, most extensive levels. Eventually, eighty six million people were immunized.