Weber-Morgan out of flu vaccine

OGDEN — Wrap up warm for winter and get out the disinfectant because the flu vaccine is unavailable for a month in Weber and Morgan counties.

Weber-Morgan County Health Department officials announced Thursday that they are now out of the seasonal flu vaccine, and people will need to find alternate sources for it.

The department ordered 4,500 doses of the vaccine a few months ago, but never received 1,200 of the doses, which are now expected to arrive sometime in November, spokeswoman Lori Buttars said.

"We've heard that a lot of health care providers are out, too," Buttars said. "We've been getting a lot of people saying 'my doctor sent me, he's out of the flu vaccine.' "

The department's stock of the H1N1 flu vaccine, which Utah received only last week, is also going quickly and Buttars said they'll likely be out by Friday afternoon. Additional doses are expected to arrive next Tuesday.

The annual drive-thru clinic scheduled for Oct. 17 has been cancelled and Buttars said they won't reschedule because of the approaching cold weather.

Officials said they've had periodic shortages of the flu vaccine over the years and ordered extra to prevent a similar occurrence, but with manufacturers producing the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines, it's taken longer than usual to receive supplies.

For additional information about the availability of the vaccine, visit www.webermorganhealth.org.

— Lana Groves