State gets 30,000 additional doses of flu vaccine

AUGUSTA – Maine has just received another 30,000 doses of the flu vaccine that are being distributed across the state following a nationwide shortage, the state announced Thursday.

Maine Human Services Commissioner Kevin Concannon urged people who need shots to go ahead and get them.

“We already have had several cases of flu reported to us this year, but most years’ flu illnesses peak in mid-January and continue through April, so it’s not too late,” Concannon said.

This year, the flu hit early in Maine with the first confirmed case of influenza in mid-November. Someone from out-of-state had been visiting the 6-year-old boy in Penobscot County who had the distinction of being the first flu victim this season.

The arrival of additional flu doses, which is in addition to 115,000 doses already received by the Maine Bureau of Health, was a welcome relief because of shortages this fall.

Shipments were delayed because manufacturers had difficulty growing a particular virus strain included in this season’s vaccine.

Vaccinations take effect about two weeks after they are received and can be beneficial even if flu has already started in a community, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Bureau of Health, encouraged everyone 50 years or older, pregnant women and people with long-term health problems, including diabetes and heart and lung problems, to get the shots.

“This recommendation does not just include those at high risk for complications from influenza illness; it also includes their households and health care workers who have not been vaccinated,” Concannon said.