MIT copes with delivery delays for seasonal flu vaccine
NOTE: This information is outdated. Please refer to MIT Medical holds off on new appointments for seasonal flu vaccine (October 7, 2009)
September 29, 2009
Statewide delivery delays for seasonal flu vaccine mean some MIT Medical patients will have to wait a little longer to be vaccinated against seasonal influenza, says Kristine Ruzycki, A.N.P.-B.C., MIT Medical’s chief of nursing services.
A recent alert from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) warned health care providers that shipments of seasonal flu vaccine are likely to arrive more slowly than expected. According to DPH, these delays are due primarily to “prioritization of H1N1 vaccine.” The same three manufacturers are producing both H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine, and the push to manufacture huge quantities of H1N1 vaccine quickly has left them with less capacity to produce seasonal flu vaccine.
The delivery delays have resulted in MIT Medical taking a more cautious approach to scheduling vaccine appointments. “We have enough vaccine for the appointments we’ve scheduled so far, including the student-only walk-in clinic at the Stratton Student Center on October 15,” Ruzycki says. “But we’re keeping the vaccine delivery schedule in mind when booking new appointments.”
While this might mean some MIT Medical patients won’t be able to get their seasonal flu vaccinations until the end of October, that timing is fine from a public health standpoint, says Chief of Medicine Howard Heller, M.D., M.P.H., “We don’t usually see a rise in seasonal flu cases until November, and the incidence doesn’t normally peak until January or later,” he notes. “In fact, most years we don’t even start vaccinating for seasonal flu until the middle of October.”
The earlier start this fall was for logistical reasons, Heller explains. “With people needing two vaccines this year—one for seasonal flu and one for H1N1 influenza—it made sense to get the seasonal flu vaccine out of the way before November, when the H1N1 vaccine was projected to arrive.”
The DPH alert notes that the delivery delays may make this schedule more difficult, but Heller is optimistic that most MIT Medical patients who want a seasonal flu vaccine will be able to get one by the time MIT begins administering H1N1 vaccines And, he adds, many people may be able to get a seasonal flu vaccine at a community clinic.
MIT Medical patients may call 617-253-4865 to make an appointment for a seasonal flu vaccination. In addition, health departments in both Cambridge and Boston are providing free seasonal flu vaccine clinics. Residents of other communities can locate local flu clinics through MassPRO’s Public Flu Clinic Finder.
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