Pharmacies and doctor’s offices are getting ready for the upcoming flu season.
Certain vaccinations — notably the high-dose vaccines for the elderly — are in short supply at this time, and Hag Pharmacy co-owner Amber Haag says there has been a series of delays in getting those to the public.
Haag says it may be mid-October before the high-dose vaccines are readily available. There is a better supply of the traditional quadrivalent flu shot for the general public, but there will be no trivalent regular-dose or recombinant vaccines available for this season.
Flu activity typically begins in October or November and can last as long as May, although it normally peaks from December to February. The CDC recommends an annual flu shot for everybody ages 6 months and up, and it recommends people wash their hands frequently to help limit the spread. If people get sick, they are advised to stay home from public situations like work or school to prevent spreading the virus.
The Flint Hills Community Health Center will have its drive-through flu shot clinic Friday at the facility. Nurse Cami McClellan will preview that event on KVOE’s Newsmaker 2 segment at 8:20 am Monday.
