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发帖数: 901 | 1 It's not too late to get vaccinated against this season's particularly nasty
flu outbreak, but you may have some trouble finding a flu shot.
On a call Friday to update reporters on the status of the outbreak, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden said that a high
demand for the flu vaccine has created some "spot shortages" of the flu shot
as people flood pharmacies and doctors' offices to get immunized. There
have also been reports of shortages of the pediatric formulation of Tamiflu,
which is used to treat children who have come down with the bug.
Flu season started more than a month early this year and is now widespread
in 47 states, with 24 of those states and New York City reporting very high
levels of disease. In some areas, the flu is mixing with a nasty stomach bug
and an unusual outbreak of whooping cough. At least one hospital in
Pennsylvania has erected a special flu tent to treat the high number of
patients flooding their offices, and the city of Boston has declared a state
of emergency because of the high number of cases.
On Thursday in flu-ridden New York City, one Duane Reade pharmacy in Times
Square was out of vaccines altogether, turning away several people who asked
for the shot. A pharmacist at a nearby Walgreens said the store ran out of
vaccines a week earlier, but purchased more from a store in Queens and was
vaccinating dozens of people each day.
Flu vaccine makers told CNN they have plenty of inventory of both the nasal
spray and flu shot. The CDC, however, says most of the 135 million vaccine
doses manufactured this year have already been administered.
Those who were vaccinated with this season's flu shot were about 62 percent
less likely to have to go to the doctor's office for flu symptoms, the CDC
says. It's not too late to get inoculated, though it takes about two weeks
for the effects to fully set in.
The only part of the country not felled by the virus so far is the far West,
but the flu may be on its way there. "Generally we do see flu essentially
roll across the country," Frieden said.
CDC scientists are also seeing signs that the tide may be turning, at least
in some Southern and Southeastern states where flu cases appear to be
dropping off. |
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