Syracuse University Health Services ran out of its supply of seasonal flu shots Thursday at the Health Services building, said Carol Masiclat, Health Services’ spokeswoman.

While SU will try to get more shots, the likelihood of it receiving any more is low because the national supply of seasonal flu shots is strained this year due to production of the H1N1 vaccine, Masiclat said.

‘We have a standing order with our flu vaccine manufacturers to get more, but they said it is highly unlikely that it will come through. A lot of the companies that produce these vaccines are kind of under pressure to produce H1N1 vaccines. Additional supplies aren’t guaranteed to anyone at this point, but we’re going to keep trying,’ Masiclat said.

In an effort to accommodate students who could not attend one of the five flu shot clinics held throughout September and early October in Flanagan Gymnasium, Health Services allowed students to get the shot through an appointment at its building beginning Oct. 9. On Thursday, they allowed students to get the remaining 400 shots without an appointment from 9 a.m. to noon and again from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

This year’s supply was the largest Health Services has ordered to date. It ordered 4,000 shots in March before the swine flu pandemic, said Kathy VanVechten, associate director of Health Services. In 2008, the university ordered 3,200 shots.

This year’s clinics were held earlier than the usual mid-October clinics to ensure students could get vaccinated early in the season, VanVechten said. Each scheduled clinic saw a high turnout, and nurses even had to turn students away at several clinics.

Students who couldn’t get the shot at SU can still get it in Syracuse. Onondaga County will hold 15 public flu shot clinics beginning Oct. 28 in various locations throughout the county, said Linda Karmen, Onondaga County’s deputy commissioner of health. While the shot was free at SU, it will cost $30 at the public clinics, according to the county’s Web site.

The county has not yet received its total order of seasonal vaccinations, so it teamed with the University of Rochester Passport Health to use part of its supply of flu vaccines for the clinics, Karmen said.

The county delay was also due to the national shortage of seasonal flu vaccinations.

‘H1N1 is the current virus that’s circulating, so it’s really important for that vaccine to get out right now,’ Karmen said. ‘Although we usually do start our clinics at the end of October or early November, the seasonal flu doesn’t usually peak until February or so. Even if we’re delayed in getting the vaccine, we still have time before the real seasonal flu season.’

Shots are also available at local pharmacies such as Rite Aid and Walgreens and vary in price from pharmacy to pharmacy, according to the pharmacies’ Web sites.

Despite the availability of the shot around the city, some students said they feel it might be a hassle to get the shot elsewhere.

Christine Jaworski, a sophomore art and psychology major, said she did not get the shot at SU because she saw the line and thought it was too long. Now that it’s not available on campus, she said she would not want to get it.

Vanessa Ho, a junior environmental engineering major, said now that the flu shot is no longer available for free at SU, she will wait until she goes home for winter break to get it – even though home is in Hong Kong.

‘I would rather go home and take it than go to a pharmacy here. As far as I know, Hong Kong doesn’t have the shots yet. I think they’re getting it in November,’ Ho said.

Meanwhile, SU is still waiting for the H1N1 vaccine. SU will be getting the vaccine from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention within the next few weeks, Karmen said. When the vaccine is available to SU, the New York State Department of Health will ship supplies to the university on a weekly basis.

‘A few of the physician providers have started to receive the vaccine, but (for) a large provider like SU, it might be a few weeks before they start receiving theirs,’ Karmen said.

Onondaga County got 500 doses of the H1N1 nasal mist Oct. 5 and 400 doses of the injection Tuesday, but has not started administering them, Karmen said. Next week’s shipment will probably be double, she said.

She said the county will start by administering shots to children’s health care professionals next week, then to the county’s health care employees. When the county receives a larger supply the swine flu vaccine will be offered during seasonal flu shot clinics, Karmen said.

rhkheel@syr.edu

Published on October 18, 2009 at 12:00 pm