The H1N1 vaccine roll out may be off to a slow start, but the debate over how to receive the inoculation is gaining more momentum. NY1's Kafi Drexel filed the following report.

Physician's assistant Thomas Marino is in the early group to get the H1N1 swine flu shot. As a healthcare worker, not only is he mandated by the state to do it, but he already falls into the suggested priority list for those who should be vaccinated first.

"It's just another flu shot. Of course it's a new flu shot. It's an H1N1, but you know I've taken flu shots in the past and I don't see this as any different. It's just protecting against another strain," Marino said.

With the vaccine available in both nasal spray and injectable form, doctors are once again reminding those seeking it about the differences.

The nasal spray is a live attenuated vaccine -- basically a thinned out form of the virus -- so it is only approved for healthy people between the ages of two through 49. Fighting virus with virus might sound strange, but it's too weak to cause infection.

"I've received questions from patients. Can they spread it to people in the home? And the answer is absolutely not. It's been rendered totally noninfectious," said Dr. Daniel Baxter of the Ryan Community Health Network.

"It causes immunity at the point of entry where you would normally breathe in the flu virus to prevent you from getting an infection," said New York City Health Department Assistant Commissioner Dr. Jane Zucker. "So because it is cold adapted it can't replicate or live in any other part of your body."

Zucker also adds that use of inhaled sprays really haven't been thoroughly studied in high risk groups like pregnant women, asthmatics and those with chronic medical conditions. So it's out of caution more than anything else that they don't get the spray. If you're thinking about getting a flu shot, that is an inactivated vaccine.

"That's a killed vaccine in that it's mostly the protein from the virus and your body reacts to that protein and causes immunity so you don't get the infection," Zucker said.

Flu vaccine starts with culturing virus in eggs. So minus an egg allergy, the shot is approved for everyone six months and up. Side effects for the nasal mist are usually at worst a stuffy nose and a sore arm for the shot.

While there's no scientific evidence of harm, many people still have concern about thimerosal, a preservative in vaccines containing mercury. Something to keep in mind, there is none in the nasal spray. You can also get the injection without thimerosal, but because not all vaccine is coming in at the same pace, the wait for a preservative-free shot may be longer.