Maine orders 145,000 doses of flu vaccine

AUGUSTA – Maine health officials say they’ve ordered 145,000 doses of flu vaccine and the first batches are now being distributed.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reminds Mainers that now’s a good time to arrange for getting an influenza vaccine.

State CDC Director Dora Anne Mills says that advice especially applies to high-risk groups, which include children ages 6 months to 6 years, people 50 and older, pregnant women and those with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Maine’s flu vaccine rate for children has been low in the past. Mills says that’s why 56,000 doses of the state’s order are for children. Mills says that’s a considerable increase over previous years.

The federal CDC says more than 100 million doses of flu vaccine are expected to be distributed throughout the country during the next two months. That’s the most flu vaccine distributed in the U.S. for a given season.