County's stock of flu vaccine running low

By Christopher Schwarzen
Times Snohomish County bureau

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Unless the Snohomish Health District finds a new source of flu vaccine, only about 1,000 more patients will be immunized before the supply is gone.

Beginning this morning, the district is limiting distribution of flu shots to high-risk patients, and officials expect those doses to be gone by Dec. 26.

The district received about 15,000 flu-vaccine doses from the state Department of Health and private suppliers earlier this year. It distributed about half of those vaccines to private providers.

But this year's influenza strain, which is believed to be responsible for four Washington deaths, including one in Edmonds, increasingly has raised public concerns. Though the vaccine is not a complete match for this year's influenza strain, it does offer some protection. Keeping adequate supplies because of the public rush has been a problem, health officials say.

The health district distributed about 3,400 vaccinations during a four-day period for walk-in patients last week at its clinics in Everett and Lynnwood. Since Oct. 8, about 9,000 flu vaccinations have been given, district spokeswoman Suzanne Pate said.

Need a flu shot? Only people in high-risk categories as defined by the state Department of Health are now able to receive a flu vaccination from the Snohomish Health District's two clinics. The high-risk categories include adults age 65 or older, pregnant women in their second or third trimesters, people 2 years old or older with an underlying chronic health condition and healthy children ages 6 to 23 months. Appointments: Everett clinic, 425-339-5220; Lynnwood, 425-775-3522.

The new appointment process will follow recently issued state guidelines for vaccinating patients as health providers in other counties also try to deal with dwindling supplies. Private medical providers, such as Medalia in Monroe, also have limited vaccinations for high-risk patients.

Pate said the appointment system will focus on high-risk patients — children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years, adults age 65 and older, people with chronic health disorders — to protect them from the flu. The district also is honoring appointments made by patients before Dec. 8, Pate said.

Federal health officials said Monday that the government had purchased 375,000 more doses from a British manufacturer.

But Dr. Ward Hinds, the health district's director, said he's not sure whether Snohomish County will receive any of the new supply.

"At this point, we're dependent on the state or the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)," he said.

Hospitals in Snohomish County have been hit hard with flu patients. At Valley General Hospital in Monroe, about 10 to 15 patients daily have been visiting the emergency room, hospital spokeswoman Martha Dankers said. At least two patients have been in critical care with flu complications.

Providence Everett Medical Center also is seeing a large influx of flu patients, spokeswoman Cheri Russum said. Many patients with flu symptoms are arriving with pneumonia as well, she said.

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com

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