Many clinics around Connecticut are running out of seasonal flu shots like these.
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A sign posted on the door tells those walking into the Newington Senior and Disabled Center that a flu clinic scheduled for Friday has been canceled. There are just no more flu shots to accommodate the 300 to 400 people who were expected to come.
"We have a lot of people who we knew had held off and were looking forward to the one on Friday. So we had to call a lot of our people who take Dial-a-Ride, who were coming in for their flu shot," said Denise Haas, Administrative Coordinator for the Newington Senior and Disabled Center.
The problem is the Central Connecticut Health District, which provides the vaccine, ran out of seasonal flu shots. They went through the 3100 doses they ordered because the demand was so great at other clinics they've hosted.
"There were actually many folks that came into the clinic after looking around at other pharmacies and sites that have been posted for clinics. They found there wasn't any vaccine at those sites so they were coming to us to get a shot," said Paul Hutcheon, Director of Health for the Central Connecticut Health District.
To help those people who were going to come to the Newington Senior and Disabled Center for their flu shots, Haas has complied a list of nearby flu clinics where people may be able to get shots.
"We're afraid on Friday what's going to happen is we're going to have a lot of people coming in here who didn't know about the cancellation, and we're going to at least have something else to give them as a substitute," she said.
The Central Connecticut Health District did the same for the Rocky Hill Community Center, where another flu clinic was canceled for Tuesday, October 20. The CCHD also suggests logging onto the American Lung Association's website, flucliniclocator.org, to see what pharmacies and clinics have flu shots in your area.