DENVER -- News of at least two confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in Colorado has some clinics and urgent care centers stockpiling the rapid flu tests that detect the flu virus.

Doctors at Guardian Urgent Care and AfterOurs Urgent Care said medical supply companies have delayed shipments of the rapid flu nasal swab test because of demand. Some clinics will not get new shipments until Monday.

In the meantime, some doctors are rationing out the swabs to ensure that there are enough to go around. At AfterOurs, doctors have started testing patients using one swab, instead of the usual three. If a patient tests positive for flu using one swab, the doctor will use the other two swabs as well. If not, the remaining swabs are stored for future use.

Other clinics are getting choosier about who gets tested and when. Kraig Burleson, director of the Inner City Health Center, said not everyone who just wants a flu test to ease their mind about the H1N1 virus will get one.

“We are truly limiting our testing to those people that present the highest risk and/or have symptoms,” said Burleson.

Burleson said the Inner City Health Center ordered a batch of rapid flu tests on Monday, just as the news cycle about H1N1 was picking up.

“We determined that we needed to make that order quickly, because we didn't know what was coming. So we right away placed the order for the rapid test,” said Burleson.

Burleson said he can only hope that the 50 tests that arrived a few days later will be enough to serve patients who may get increasingly nervous as more H1N1 cases are confirmed in Colorado.