Tuesday on StormCenter 17 at 5:00, we revealed a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It shows H1N1 could be deadly at all ages.

The average time from the first symptoms to death is just 12 days. There was a perception that the elderly are protected and have some pre-existing immunity. That's because of previous, yet different, H1N1 strains from the 1920's to the 50's. In the new study, if the elderly were admitted and severely ill, they often ended up dying. So we asked the Macon County Health Department about who the real priority groups are.  

"It's not like...people don't have concern for the elderly and their health, but right now the people that are going to be the most affected and hospitalized in Macon County, in Illinois, the same trend as rest of the nation, children being more affected," said Brandi Binkley for the Macon County Health Department. "The median age in Macon County for people hospitalized is nine, so...it's important that people get the vaccine that are most affected."

The Macon County Health Department says when priority groups are expanded, that information will go out to the media right away.