A delay in seasonal influenza vaccine delivery caused Altru Health System to postpone the rest of its flu shot clinics, according to a press release Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, about 17,000 people were vaccinated at the clinics, more than at the same time last year. Altru gave 25,000 flu shots in 2008. Altru will resume the flu clinics as more vaccine is made available.
In the release, infection control physician Dr. James Hargreaves said the flu virus that is now circulating is not the strain the seasonal vaccine protects against. "We don't anticipate that strain to circulate until later in the fall, at which point we may be equipped to vaccinate all groups," he said.
Sarah Kotelnicki with Altru's Corporate Development said the delay in delivery of the seasonal flu vaccines is something that multiple organizations are experiencing, since manufacturers have been researching and making the H1N1 vaccines.
