“I put in an order for 5,000 [seasonal] flu shots this year, an order that was agreed upon by my distributor, and we got 16% of that,” Flintridge Pharmacy owner Michael Stremfel said.
Minute Clinic spokesperson Brent Burkhardt said his company has experienced a high demand throughout the country. “We’ve been working with all suppliers to meet that demand,” he said.
H1N1 vaccines have been ordered by and large, but neither CVS nor Flintridge Pharmacy had received any as of Wednesday and the expected shipment date has been pushed back from mid-October to November, they said. Even then, the number of shots received may not reach the number of shots ordered.
“We’ve ordered 6,000 injectable H1N1 flu vaccines and 2,000 nasal vaccines,” Stremfel said, though he was uncertain of when it would be delivered, although he’s been promised an early November shipping date. “I long ago stopped having expectations [on the delivery dates of vaccines]. To use a fishing analogy, I threw my hook in the water and now I’m waiting. We’re in the queue, that’s what I know.
“I hope everyone understands that this is highly unpredictable.”
The Minute Clinic is in the same boat, Burkhardt said.
“As for the H1N1 flu virus, no [Minute Clinics] have received any at this time,” said Burkhardt. “The federal government hasn’t made it available yet. This is not a regional problem, it’s reflected in all parts of the country.”
The CVS on Verdugo Boulevard offers a priority list for the H1N1 flu vaccine: ?Pregnant women.
?Household contacts and caregivers for children under 6 years old.
?Health care and emergency medical workers.
?All people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years.
