Piedmont Hospital out of seasonal flu vaccine

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/piedmont-hospital-out-of-139282.html

The hospital...ordered 2,500 doses of the vaccine from its vaccine supplier, but has received just 1,550 doses.

The hospital may not get additional vaccine until November, "and of course that will be in the midst of flu season," said Brent Price, corporate director of infection control at Piedmont Healthcare. "It takes several weeks to build immunity. People won't be protected until well into December."

The hospital employs about 3,800 workers at the Peachtree Road site. Officials did not order that much vaccine because only about 42 percent of employees typically take the vaccination, said Talei Akahoshi, director of occupational health at Piedmont Healthcare.

Donna Cary, a spokeswoman for Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine division of French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis, can't speak specifically about Piedmont. However, "this season is not without its production challenges," she said in a statement. "The seasonal influenza vaccine is produced from three strains of influenza virus. One of them, the B-strain, was low yielding this year. Additionally, the company is working to make a vaccine for H1N1.

"As a result, we can anticipate that the shipment of remaining doses of seasonal vaccine could extend a few weeks longer than initially anticipated. That is, instead of having all doses shipped by the end of October, the final shipment of doses may occur in November."

She said the company has shipped more than half of the seasonal vaccine, and shipments are continuing.

(hat tip flutrackers/treyfish)

It could be an ugly flu season

That gives more emphasis to the thought that all vaccines need to be manufactured in cell media, rather than using eggs, to which many people are allergic.

The faster production would obviate such fears of fewer available doses!

Yes, I wish that they would hurry up and approve this.