As supply finally catches up with demand for the swine flu vaccine, so that everyone who wants it can get it starting Monday, the pool of seasonal flu shots is on the wane.
While announcing locations offering the H1N1 — or swine flu — vaccine, the North Olympic Peninsula’s top public health official also said that the present supply of seasonal flu shots will be the last of the season.
“Once this last distribution of seasonal flu vaccine is used up, that’s it,” said Dr. Tom Locke, public health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, on Friday.
“They literally can’t make any more because they diverted all their production facilities to H1N1 vaccination.
“People who are interested in getting the [seasonal flu] vaccine should get it as soon as possible.”
The well-prepared will be vaccinated against both this year.
“To be fully protected against influenza infection this year requires two separate vaccines: one for H1N1 influenza and the other for seasonal flu,” Locke said.
Both the H1N1 vaccine and the final doses of seasonal flu vaccine are available in pharmacies and from public and private providers now.
“There were about 20 million remaining doses of seasonal flu vaccine nationally that are now being distributed,” Locke said in an interview, “so a lot of places were out of it for a period of time but are now getting the remaining supplies.”
Swine flu
The H1N1 influenza vaccine — provided free of charge by the federal government through the Centers for Disease Control — had been restricted to high-risk groups since it arrived in October. But next week, all restrictions will have been lifted on the vaccine.
Because swine flu is a pandemic — meaning that it spread rapidly around the world — the federal government purchased the supply of vaccine for the nation and offers it for free.
Despite the vaccine itself being free, clinics can charge administration fees for swine flu shots, said Lisa McKenzie, communicable disease program coordinator for the Jefferson County Public Health Department.
Public health departments bill insurance, Medicaid or Medicare, if available, she said, but charge nothing if the patient has no insurance. Private providers vary, she added.
Although it is a pandemic, the swine flu is considered relatively mild, similar to the seasonal flu. Many healthy people recover on their own in a matter of days.
But it can be unpredictable, the Clallam County Health and Human Services Department said, citing figures of more than 100,000 hospitalizations and more than 4,000 deaths attributed to the H1N1 virus in the nation.
Half of those severely sickened had a known risk factor for influenza complications.
Public health officials have confirmed one fatality from complications of swine flu on the North Olympic Peninsula. A Clallam County man in his mid-50s who had multiple risk factors died of H1N1-related complications in Port Angeles on Nov. 5.
Seasonal flu
In contrast to the H1N1 vaccine, seasonal flu vaccine costs patients per dose, since the clinics must purchase it, McKenzie said.
The Clallam County public health department is not offering seasonal influenza vaccinations to adults this year.
“We only have seasonal flu vaccine for children who are part of a federally funded vaccination program,” Locke said.
“The main remaining availability of the seasonal flu vaccine is at pharmacies around town,” he added.
“I checked with Safeway in Port Angeles, and they still do have [seasonal] flu vaccine there. Some of the others, I believe, either have it or will be getting it.”
Health officials expect to see four distinct types of influenza between January and March — H1N1 and the three types of seasonal flu that typically ciruclate, Locke said in a prepared statement.
The H1N1 pandemic has caused two distinct outbreak “waves” in the nation so far.
The first began in late April and crested in May. The second began in September and crested in late October. The third wave is expected to occur during the regular flu season — the first three months of the year.
“Studies of the tens of millions of people who have already received the H1N1 vaccine show it to be very safe,” the statement said.
“Supplies of the vaccine are increasing rapidly and all who wish to be vaccinated should be able to do so before the next wave of H1N1 influenza hits.”
In East Jefferson County, all vaccine providers ran out of seasonal influenza vaccine in the fall until recently, when more vaccine arrived at Jefferson Healthcare hospital, the Jefferson County Public Health Department said in a prepared statement.
“No further shipments of seasonal flu vaccine are expected this winter,” the statement said.
A final East Jefferson flu vaccine clinic will be held at Olympic Primary Care, 1010 Sheridan St, Suite 101, Port Townsend, from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
