FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Thousands of doses of the swine flu vaccine will available in South Florida by Monday, and officials are putting plans in place to finalize how the vaccines will be distributed.

Distribution of the vaccine will launch Monday in a mass campaign strategically coordinated between Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach and Broward counties, beginning with public schools. Students must have signed parental permission to get the vaccine.

The four South Florida counties will get an initial 27,000 to 28,000 doses of the vaccine next week. They will get additional weekly supplies, but health officials do not know how much they will receive per week.

"We would like to have as many people as possible everybody whose parents want them to be vaccinated," said Dr. John Livengood, director of epidemiology for the Broward County Health Department.

In addition to the schools, the four counties' weekly supply allocations of the vaccine will also be given by doctors, public clinics and federal facilities.

"There will be multiple access points. We'll be sending out a lot of information. Everybody will have the opportunity to be vaccinated by the peak of flu season," said Dr. Paula Thaqi of the Broward County Health Department.

Only priority patients will receive the first vaccines. They include pregnant women (who get preservative-free doses), anyone from 6 months to 25 years old, anyone who cares for babies and anyone with a chronic disease.

People older than 64 years old are not considered at high risk for swine flu -- unlike the seasonal flu -- and are asked to wait for an H1N1 vaccine.

"It's supply and demand. If you're afraid that it'll be available in once place, you'll rush to that place. That's exactly the opposite of what we're saying," said Dr. Alina Alonso of the Palm Beach County Health Department.

Florida's flu season peaks in late January.

For more information, visit the Miami-Dade County or the Broward County health department Web sites.