No U.S. decision on H1N1 vaccine orders: official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has not made a decision on whether to cancel or sell any of its orders for the H1N1 vaccine, unlike some countries in Europe, a federal health official said on Thursday.

Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said demand remains steady and the government's focus is on having as many people vaccinated as possible.

"Right now we are at a point where we have ample supply. We're really encouraging people to get vaccinated. So we haven't made decisions here in the U.S. about giving back vaccines," Schuchat told a media briefing.

Germany plans to cancel half the 50 million vaccines it ordered from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to combat the H1N1 flu virus, a German health official said on Thursday.

Earlier this week, France canceled over half the H1N1 flu vaccines it had ordered because of the pandemic.

The U.S. government has paid for 251 million doses of bulk vaccine from five makers -- Glaxo, AstraZeneca, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis and CSL Ltd.

(Editing by Philip Barbara)