No shortage of flu shots, but wait likely.

Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard

Public health officials say flu vaccine will be plentiful this year, but maybe not right on time.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 100 million doses of influenza vaccine will be produced for the United States this year, which is 17 million more doses than the previous high.

But Lane County Public Health officials, who ordered a record 5,000 doses this year, have just 630 doses on hand and have been told by their supplier that only about 45 percent of their order will arrive by the end of the month. The balance should arrive by late November or early December.

With four public flu shot sessions scheduled in October, they don't yet know if they'll have to reschedule some of those clinics, said Pat Dotson, the agency's senior stores clerk and vaccine wrangler.

"We'll go ahead with the first clinic," on Oct. 16, Dotson said.

Alternate dates have been set for subsequent clinics, but Dotson said officials hope not to have change any dates.

Lane County ordered all its doses from Sanofi Aventis, one of three suppliers of vaccine this year in the United States, Dotson said.

Even with slightly delayed vaccine shipments, people will have plenty of time to get vaccinated, Dotson said. In Oregon, flu season usually hits in December, peaks in February and ends in March.

Flu shots will cost $23 this year at Lane County's clinics. Pneumonia shots are $35 and available to those 65 and older who have never had one.

High risk groups are encouraged to get shots early in the season. Those groups include: anyone older than 50, especially those with health problems; residents of long-term care facilities; anyone six months or older with chronic illness; pregnant women; health care workers; household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children up to 5 years old; and children 6 months to 5 years.

Parents of young children are encouraged to have them vaccinated at Lane County Public Health's weekly walk-in immunization clinics, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays at the Public Health building, 135 E. Sixth Ave., Eugene.

In lieu of a flu shot, healthy people ages 5 to 49 can take a nasal-spray vaccine called FluMist, which uses a live attenuated influenza vaccine. FluMist, licensed in 2003, contains weakened live influenza viruses instead of killed viruses.

FLU SHOT TIME Lane County Public Health begins a series of flu shot clinics this month; drug and grocery stores also conduct the clinics.

Lane County's first clinic is scheduled 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16, at Wheeler Pavilion at the Lane Events Center, 796 W. 13th Ave., Eugene. For a complete listing of clinics and up-to-date immunization information, call 682-4181 or on the Web, go to www.lanecounty.org

Local stores offering flu shot clinics include: Jo Dell's Drug Store; Costco; Walgreen Drug Store; Safeway stores; and Shopko. For times, call the stores or go to www.findaflushot.com.