Although a major national manufacturer of flu vaccine is delaying shipment of its vaccinations to check for possible contamination, local health care organizations say they don’t expect the delay to cause major slowdowns in vaccinating patients this fall.
“At this point, we’re not unduly concerned,” said Cynthia Scanlon, a spokeswoman for The Everett Clinic.
The organization still hopes to get its flu vaccine shipments in October, she said.
Chiron is holding up shipments of the vaccine because tests revealed some of it had been contaminated. About 4 million of the company’s 50 million doses were found to be tainted, according to company officials, who refused to say what the contamination was. All 50 million doses are being delayed for additional tests to ensure their safety, they said.
The Everett Clinic ordered about 15,000 of its total order of 18,000 doses from Chiron Corp., which supplies half the nation’s flu vaccine.
Although the delay is not expected to have a major effect on this year’s flu vaccine supply, there may be a delay in making some shots available, company officials said.
“This is not a crisis,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
“We’ll end up having more vaccine doses than we’ve ever had before,” she said. “Ultimately, all people who need flu vaccine should be able to get their shots.”
Tim Church, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, said about 70,000 doses, or a third of the department’s pediatric vaccine ordered this year, was ordered from Chiron.
“The result is a slight delay for a portion of the flu vaccine we get for kids,” he said.
The agency distributes children’s flu vaccine to public health departments and other health care providers in Washington.
Stevens Hospital in Edmonds ordered 7,000 doses through a wholesaler that uses Chiron, hospital spokeswoman Beth Engel said.
“They have sent us a letter letting us know that they’re still planning on being able to deliver the full 7,000 doses by the second week in October,” she said.
Group Health Cooperative ordered only about a tenth of its 100,000 doses from Chiron. The health maintenance organization still expects to have its flu vaccine kick-off in October, as usual, said Brian Harris, executive director of pharmacy services.
Medalia Medical Group uses a distributor that is believed to have ordered about 11,500 flu vaccine doses from Chiron, said Tina Gilson, a spokeswoman for Medalia’s parent organization, Providence Everett Medical Center.
In 2003, the Snohomish Health District received 5,500 doses from the state Health Department to immunize children, spokeswoman Suzanne Pate said. The countywide public health agency expects to get about the same amount this year.
The Community Health Center of Snohomish County ordered 2,000 doses from Chiron and expects to get 1,800 in time for flu season, executive director Ken Green said.
Visiting Nurse Services of the Northwest, which organizes flu-shot clinics throughout the Puget Sound area, vaccinated about 50,000 people during the last flu season, said Diane Kolb, director of business development.
She said it’s hard to know how many were ordered through Chrion this year because it orders through a distributor that buys from four suppliers.
Based on the fact that Chiron is a large manufacturer, it’s probably a significant part of the order, Kolb said.
“We’re just waiting to hear,” she added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
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