Flu shots make early debut

The seasonal flu vaccine has arrived unseasonably early.

It was still summer vacation for most, but several local distributors started offering the flu shot early last week.

Typically, the shot is first advertised in late September and early October, but distributors offering the shot now say they are acting in compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation.

Health officials are predicting an early flu season in which the seasonal flu will spread rampantly. For that reason, and to gear up for the swine flu vaccine which will be available this fall, CDC recommends getting the seasonal flu shot now.

“There’s going to be such a complex schedule this year with the H1N1 vaccine,” said family nurse practitioner Mitch Borskin of Eugene Urgent Care. “If we wait (until later) it’ll be too clustered. People will be confused.”

Eugene Urgent Care has about 1,500 doses chilling in its refrigerator and at least 1,000 more on the way. The clinic offers the vaccine on a walk-in basis.

The vaccine protects against three seasonal viruses that health officials believe will be the most common this year. The vaccine does not protect against the swine flu.

A separate vaccine against the swine flu will be made available in October or November, according to the CDC. The vaccine may require more than one dose, but the details have yet to be released.

Borskin said the only potential risk in getting the seasonal flu shot this early is that if the flu season hits late this year — say, not until February or March — a person’s immunity to the virus could weaken. But the CDC says early protection is worth that risk.

If the flu doesn’t hit until late winter, clinics will offer booster shots, Borskin said.

Amid concerns of the swine flu reaching pandemic levels, the CDC also expects the seasonal flu to hit hard.

Since the vaccine is the best way to guard against the flu, Borskin said, this year it’s not just the elderly and very young who should be vaccinated. It’s “pretty much everybody,” he said.

Bruce Hight, store manager of the Walgreens on Coburg Road, said Walgreens has “plenty” of the vaccine. Despite the early delivery, he said, the vaccine has been in high demand.

Walk-ins are welcome, but Hight recommends that people call ahead to make vaccination appointments because not all pharmacists at the store are certified immunizers.

Hight said he has noticed some confusion over whether the vaccine is for the swine flu or seasonal flu.

Both Eugene Urgent Care and the Coburg Road Walgreens have applied to be swine flu vaccine distribution sites. They expect to find out whether they will receive the swine flu vaccine soon.

Lane County Public Health will make the seasonal flu vaccine available starting in October, according to its Web site.

For those paying cash and not billing through their health insurance plans, the vaccinations are $24.99 at Walgreens, $25 at Eugene Urgent Care and $28 at Lane County Public Health.