HOUSTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Maryland on Tuesday became the fifth U.S. state to start providing vaccines to non-priority groups as more A/H1N1 flu vaccines became available.

    Other U.S. states that have provided swine flu vaccines to non-target groups are Alaska, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

    The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said that vaccines would be shipped to pharmacies for vaccination on Tuesday and Wednesday.

    Orders are delivered directly to doctors, clinics, hospitals and health departments to vaccinate those outside the 2.9 million previously targeted: pregnant women, household contacts and care-takers for children younger than six months of age, health-care and emergency medical personnel, people from 6 months to 24 years of age, and persons aged 25 to 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.

    Until Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been aiming to vaccinate people of similar target groups.

    The federal agency explained that high-risk people have priority because manufacturing delays resulted in limited supplies of vaccines.

    There are now 73 million doses of A/H1N1 vaccines available nationwide in the United States, according to agency figures.

    "We're still in a period of changing gears, from a time of not having enough vaccine, to a time of having adequate supply for anyone to receive shots," CDC director Thomas Frieden said.

Special Report:  World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu