Flu shot confusion causes headaches - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

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Some local health officials, scrambling to adjust to shiftinginformation from the state on the availability of flu vaccine, havebeen forced to reschedule flu shot clinics for the elderly.

The state Department of Public Health, which supplies hundreds ofthousands of doses of the vaccine to cities and towns at no cost,warned boards of health recently that supplies were short and theyshouldn't expect full delivery until late this month - forcing manylocal health officials to postpone their fall flu clinics.

Then last week the state added to the confusion by announcing thatit had received a major shipment of vaccine.

The Maynard Public Health Department had been spreading the wordaround town that a planned clinic on Tuesday would have to wait untilat least early December. But the town's roughly 300 doses arrivedunexpectedly from the state last week, prompting public healthdirector Gerald Collins to announce the canceled clinic was back on.

'Now we're back to the original date of Nov. 14,' Collins said.'Anybody who gets upset, I've told them, `I can't give you what Idon't have.' I'm at the mercy of the state.'

A state Department of Public Health spokeswoman said the state inturn is at the mercy of its vaccine supplier, Sanofi Pasteur Inc. ofFrance.

'Sanofi Pasteur has been shipping it out in increments due to thehigh demand,' Donna Rheaume said. 'We've just recently received anadditional 318,000 doses, so now we've got 92 percent of our vaccine,and it's on its way to the local boards of health.'

Rheaume said the vaccine will get to cities and towns in plenty oftime for the elderly and people with chronic diseases, those most atrisk of complications from the flu, to be vaccinated before fluseason hits. As of last week, there had been only one confirmed caseof influenza in the state this fall.

'We're shipping it out as fast as we can,' she said. 'It's goingright out the door so the clinics can get underway.'

In Wayland, two flu shot clinics scheduled for early this monthwere postponed.

'We put them off until early December giving the state anothermonth in which to get us the full complement of vaccine so we can runthe clinics,' said Wayland director of public health Steve Calichman.

To avoid further confusion, Calichman said, he won't set new datesfor the clinics until his department actually receives all of itsroughly 600 doses from the state.

'You don't want to have a clinic and get to the end of the lineand you have 50 people waiting but not enough vaccine for them,' hesaid. 'For the most part, people have been very understanding.'

Norfolk Health Department administrator Betsy Fijol said she wastold by state officials this past week she could pick up the town's190 doses of vaccine tomorrow, just in time for the town's clinic onWednesday.

'I've been sweating it out because if you cancel, you have to callall the people who signed up and then call them back later toreschedule,' Fijol said. 'It's always a hassle. Every year there's ashortage or a delay or something.'

Marlborough has flu shot clinics scheduled for Thursday andFriday, but the health department hadn't received all of its roughly1,000 doses of vaccine from the state as of last week, said publichealth nurse Nancy Cleary.

'It just depends on what happens in the next week,' Cleary said.'We have almost enough for one day of clinic. If we don't get anymore before then, I'll have to postpone the second clinic until weget more.'

Needham pushed back its clinics until late November or earlyDecember, but Newton had enough vaccine to hold one flu shot clinictwo weeks ago, public health officials said.

The officials said residents mostly are taking the delays andconfusion in stride.

'I think they're getting used to it after the last couple ofyears,' said Hopkinton public health administrator Thomas Ryder. 'Itwas pretty much a nightmare two years ago when we weren't going toget any, then we finally got some late in the season. I haven't heardthe complaints of previous years.'

Hopkinton's flu clinic had been scheduled for Wednesday, but ithas been postponed until sometime next month. Hopkinton normally gets250 doses of the vaccine, but could only get 20 in time for theWednesday clinic, Ryder said.