With local supplies of flu vaccine drying up and demand increasing, The Everett Clinic is holding a special walk-in flu clinic today and Sunday — or as long as its 2,500 doses last.
"We were getting a ton of phone calls," said Bonnie Neff, who orders the organization’s flu vaccine.
A decision was made Thursday to hold additional clinics for the public to get the shots.
"When we’re out, we’re out," she said.
About a quarter of the supply is children’s vaccine. The shot is recommended for babies and toddlers ages 6 to 23 months.
Three factors — an early flu season, unusually high public demand and the announcement that two national manufacturers have run out of vaccine — have combined for an increasingly tight flu vaccine supply.
"It’s all about supply and demand," said Donn Moyer, spokesman for the state Heath Department.
Last year, manufactures produced 95 million doses of flu vaccine and had 10 million doses left over, he said. This year, 83.4 million doses have been produced, and most of it has been distributed.
"There’s still vaccine in the pipeline, you’ve just got to find it," Moyer said.
There has never been more than 80 million doses of flu vaccine used in the United States during a single flu season, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There is a "palpable level of concern" over flu and flu shot availability, said Martha Dankers, spokeswoman for Valley General Hospital in Monroe, where six patients were hospitalized this week because of the flu.
Influenza is now widespread in Washington, state Health Department officials said Friday.
Doctors in Everett and Sultan began reporting flu cases in early November — far earlier than the typical flu season, which usually begins in January. The number of cases has snowballed since then.
Medalia Medical Group clinics tried to reorder flu vaccine Friday, but couldn’t. Its order is not expected to be filled until January. Local Medalia clinics are expected to have flu vaccine only through the beginning of next week, spokeswoman Cheri Russum said.
Group Health Cooperative "is nearing a flu vaccine shortage," spokeswoman Keely Barrett said. "Our supplies are thinning." Members have to make appointments to get shots.
The health maintenance organization has requested more vaccine, but won’t know until early next week if it will get it, Barrett said.
Meanwhile, the Snohomish Health District received 2,300 doses this week, said Donna Larsen, director of community health.
News of the possible flu death of a 29-year-old Edmonds man and the deaths of Colorado children following suspected bouts with the flu have fueled an unprecedented number of calls to the public health agency about flu shots.
"We’re very busy giving the vaccine," Larsen said.
Since November, The Everett Clinic, the largest non-HMO health care organization in the county, has administered 824 flu tests, more than it has given during any previous flu season.
"In the last four days, we’ve done 104 tests," spokeswoman Cynthia Scanlon said Friday, with about 36 percent of patients showing positive results.
The organization initially ordered 20,000 doses of flu vaccine, and has reordered several times since then.
"Normally, I could stand on the street corner this time of year and couldn’t give them away," Neff said. "What we’re seeing is people who are not our patients and healthy people coming in because they’re fearful of the flu."
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
Two Snohomish County health care organizations said Friday they still have flu vaccine:
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