The best thing to be said about the swine flu epidemic is, it could be worse.

Vaccines have been slow to arrive. Even high-risk population groups remain mostly unimmunized. The illness has decimated classrooms and offices.

But some things are going well.

Public health planning for pandemic influenza, under way since 2001, has shown its value. Last week we spoke with Dr. Melvin Kohn, director of Oregon’s Public Health Division. One of his goals is to “tamp down the anxiety,” because the H1N1 virus is not the unstoppable Godzilla some people might have feared.

On the South Coast, for example, Kohn said we had seen about 15 hospitalizations, but no deaths. Kohn noted that his agency’s operations staff in Portland is collecting up-to-date information from throughout the state. The division is tracking activities at hospitals and fielding requests for supplies and equipment. The department’s hotline receives hundreds of calls each day, and soon it will add on-the-spot medical advice from qualified nurses.

Kohn assures us Oregon will get through the epidemic.

As for the tardiness of the vaccines, that problem is beyond our state’s control. But Kohn emphasizes that getting a flu shot late in the season is better than not getting one at all. H1N1 will be around all winter and beyond.

One danger still lurking is that the flu could leave some businesses critically short-handed, particularly during the holidays. Kohn urges sick people to stay home, where they won’t infect others. “Teleworking” via the Internet may be an option for come employees.

For many of us, however, the basics are still the only defense. Wash your hands. Cough into your elbow. Use disinfectant.

And keep smiling. It truly could be a whole lot worse.