Additional flu vaccine arrives
Extra doses of flu vaccine will be available across the Panhandle beginning Friday to adults 50 years and older.
The Panhandle Health District recently received 1,280 additional doses of the vaccine from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said Susan Cuff, spokeswoman for the health district. The doses will be distributed across the five counties of North Idaho, with 780 staying in Kootenai County.
Appointments will be offered beginning Friday for residents of Kootenai, Benewah, Bonner, Boundary and Shoshone counties. The shots cost $15 and are also covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
The health district had already received and distributed its full shipment for the season, but fears of a shortage prompted more people to seek the vaccine.
“A lot of it was not necessarily hype, but when people are told they can’t get something or that there’s a shortage, it just creates more demand,” Cuff said.
The supply boost has allowed the Panhandle Health District to offer the vaccine to more people, including younger people. Now, any adult 50 and older is being encouraged to receive a flu shot, Cuff said. Federal and state health officials also recommend the following people receive a shot: residents of nursing homes, children between 6 and 23 months, anyone with chronic illness or disease and all healthcare workers.
To date, flu activity has been mild, Cuff said. But she added that influenza is not a reportable illness in Idaho, which makes it impossible to track the precise number of cases. Flu season typically peaks at the end of January.
“There’s plenty of time still for people to get a flu shot,” Cuff said.
To schedule a flu shot, call the Panhandle Health District office at (208) 415-5100.