The first day of widespread pharmacy-based distribution of the swine flu vaccine in Dallas County went off without any serious hitches, the Dallas County health department said Wednesday.

Interest in getting the vaccine appeared to be high in many locations. Many set appointments, and shots were distributed throughout the day after only a short wait.

At the county health department, calls continued to pour in from people wanting to schedule an appointment for the county free vaccination clinic at a church in southern Dallas on Saturday, department director Zachary Thompson said.

On Tuesday, the department had announced that it was distributing 16,000 doses of the still-scarce vaccine to Dougherty's Pharmacy, 20 Walgreens and every Walmart and Tom Thumb pharmacy in Dallas County.

Pharmacists were instructed to give the vaccine only to county residents who were also in one of the groups considered at highest risk of getting a severe case of swine flu.

"We will have to turn some people away," Rebecca King, a Kroger spokeswoman, said, "but that comes from the government, not us."

The partnership between the county and the pharmacies was developed to distribute a new, larger supply the state is now sending local health departments. So far, the Texas health department says it does not have enough vaccine to send directly to pharmacies.

As will be true once the state starts to send vaccine directly to the pharmacies, the stores were allowed to charge for the shots, even though the government is supplying the vaccine for free. Prices, intended to cover administrative costs, ranged from $10 to $20.

Erin White, who is pregnant, was advised by her doctor Tuesday to get the shot as soon as possible. White, who was getting the shot at Kroger's Greenville location, said she had trouble finding where to get vaccinated.

"None of the [obstetricians'] offices have them yet," she said. "I begged my son's physicians to give it to me but they wouldn't."

Pharmacists and health department officials said they were fielding some complaints from people seeking the vaccine but who live outside Dallas County or are not members of the designated high-risk groups.

Dougherty's was the only independent pharmacy that signed up to distribute the county-supplied vaccine. While the chains didn't begin giving shots until Wednesday, Dougherty's started Monday, pharmacist Joe Park said.

The pharmacy was also unusual because it has a small supply of the seasonal flu vaccine, which is all but gone from most other local stores. The Dallas County health department said Wednesday that it had received a new supply of the seasonal vaccine for children.

A steady stream of people walked purposefully into Dougherty's on Wednesday, seeking the H1N1 vaccine. In each case, they were asked to prove they lived in Dallas County and were asked if they were members of a high-risk group.

Neal Singh, 23, waited his turn. People up to age 24 are in one of the risk groups. A couple of his friends had caught the flu and were sick for more than a week, he said.

"I didn't want to end up like that," he said.

Staff writer Jaimie Siegle contributed to this report.