FARMINGTON – With cases of flu being reported recently in Maine, Franklin Memorial Hospital is receiving nearly 50 calls a day from folks hoping to get a flu shot.

“At this time, we are not planning any public flu shot clinics due to shortages of the vaccine,” said Franklin Memorial Hospital spokesperson Jill Gray. “We are recommending that residents call their primary care physician’s office to see if they are offering flu shots for their patients and who is considered high priority for the shots that are available.”

In response to an unusually early and severe outbreak of influenza and the shortage of vaccine, nationally and in Maine, public health officials have tightened up recommendations for the flu vaccine. Officials are placing the highest priority on vaccinating all children ages 6 months to 23 months, adults 65 and older, pregnant women beyond the third trimester and anyone over 2 years old with a chronic health condition.

Dora Anne Mills, director of Maine Bureau of Health, said in a prepared statement, “This situation is changing on a daily basis and our staff continues to work hard to address the challenge. We are expecting some limited additional vaccine for distribution in the next several weeks.”

The office at Pine Tree Pediatrics in Farmington has been inundated with calls about the flu vaccine, but only has enough vaccine for their patients 6 months and older with chronic health conditions, according to the practice’s office manager Cindy Pankovic.

Updates on influenza and the vaccine can be found nearly every day on the Maine Immunization Program website at www.state.me.us/dhs/boh/mip/flu.

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