Flu vaccine shortage hits Orange County

Clinical pharmacist Lisa Adams Padgett administers the H1N1 vaccine to Beverly Dickinson. DTH/Lauren Vied

The Orange County Health Department does not have enough H1N1 vaccine to keep up with residents seeking it.

The department currently has no vaccination clinics scheduled.

“It’s hard to say a demand when you only have a set amount to offer, but we’ve had a tremendous response to any availability of the vaccine,” said Donna King, department spokeswoman. “Currently, the supply is not keeping up with the demand.”

The vaccine is only available now to people on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s priority groups, which include people between of 6 months and 24 years, people with asthma and emergency personnel.

 The Chapel Hill CVS and Kerr Drug received shipments of the vaccine last week. Kerr Drug administered its first vaccinations Monday.

“We’ve had a lot of responses of people wanting the vaccination,” said Lisa Padgett, a clinical pharmacist at Kerr Drug.

Kerr Drug is receiving shipments on a weekly basis, she said, adding that she wouldn’t be surprised by a shortage of vaccinations in the beginning stages.

“There shouldn’t be an absolute shortage,” she said. “But people are going to have be patient to get it.”

Padgett said she would not release how many vaccinations the store has because staff don’t want to create panic or confusion.

“We have a pretty decent supply on hand,” she said.

H1N1 vaccinations will also be available for patients at Chapel Hill Pediatrics throughout the coming weeks. The next vaccine clinic will be Wednesday, where 240 vaccinations will be available.

The vaccine is available in two forms. The shot contains a dead virus, while the nasal mist contains a weakened virus.

Interest in the vaccination is mixed, but many students are choosing to forgo immunization.

“I’ve heard that it’s really mass produced, and since the virus is so new, it doesn’t seem like something I’d want to inject into my body,” freshman Melissa Ballard said.

Graduate student Wynne Beers, who isn’t in the CDC’s priority groups, is not worried about not getting the vaccine.

“I feel like I’m a pretty healthy, late 20s guy,” he said. “The vaccine would be better used for those who need it if there’s only a limited quantity.”

For updates on the availability of vaccinations, call the Orange County Health Department’s H1N1 information line at (919) 245-2479.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.