Sep. 24--Suffering from influenza last year, Eric Getten of Eau Claire isn't taking any chances this season.
"What a miserable experience that was," recalled Getten, who recently got his first flu shot.
Others -- hoping to avoid a similar experience -- have been flocking into Walgreens for seasonal flu shots. Getten, who manages the store at 1819 S. Hastings Way, credits the increase in interest to two factors:
- The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending people get seasonal flu vaccinations as soon as they become available, followed by a swine flu shot once that vaccination becomes available.
- Rather than offering flu shots to patrons on a single day, Walgreens drugstores around the country have committed to providing vaccinations to adults from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through the end of September.
Walgreens also plans to hold National Flu Shot Day from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 1, Getten said. After that, seasonal flu shots will be available throughout October by appointment.
"There is so much more awareness about the flu than in other years," said Getten, who believes that awareness is the result of the swine flu virus causing illness, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. during the normally flu-free summer months.
Marshfield Clinic centers have held seasonal flu shot clinics in west-central Wisconsin that have been well-attended, said Sarah Rall, the clinic's director of pharmacy purchasing and supply.
But some centers had to put flu shot clinics on hold because of a delay in vaccine shipments caused by manufacturers stopping packaging and shipping the seasonal vaccine to gear up for production of the swine flu vaccine, Rall said. She expects Marshfield Clinic centers to be able to schedule more seasonal flu shot clinics by the end of October or beginning of November once more of that vaccine becomes available.
The Chippewa County Department of Public Health has held several flu shot clinics this month, but attendance has been down, Director Jean Durch said. The decrease could be the result of offering influenza vaccinations earlier than usual or people taking advantage of other opportunities such as Walgreens is providing, she said.
Walgreens charges $24.99 for shots compared with the $32 people must pay to Chippewa County.
Durch is expecting 1,100 doses of the seasonal flu vaccine. To date, her department, which has given 60 shots so far, has received about 60 percent of its order.
Additional flu shot clinics are planned in Chippewa County in September, October and November, and Durch said her department will continue to make seasonal flu vaccinations available until supplies are exhausted.
The Eau Claire City-County Health Department is scheduled to begin its public seasonal flu shot clinics Oct. 15. Director Richard Thoune said the clinics should be completed by Oct. 21. Luther Midelfort also has clinics planned for late October and early November.
O'Brien can be reached at 830-5838, 800-236-7077 or christena.obrien@ecpc.com.
-----
To see more of The Leader-Telegram or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.leadertelegram.com.
Copyright (c) 2009, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
NYSE:WAG,