LEWISTON – More than 3,000 people rolled up their sleeves to get flu shots Saturday at clinics hosted by local hospitals.

St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center doled out 1,800 doses of the vaccine; Central Maine Medical Center, 1,600.

People older than 65 in fair or poor health, as well as people with chronic health conditions, qualified for the shots.

The clinics had not planned on opening their doors until 8 a.m., but let people in early because of long lines.

Some people started lining up as early as 4 a.m., according to Kayt DeMerchant, spokeswoman for St. Mary’s.

The two hospitals communicated throughout the morning, sending patients to each other’s clinic in an effort to minimize waiting times, she said

The longest backup was 1 hours, she said, but waits averaged about 20 minutes.

Nobody was turned away by 2 p.m. when the clinics closed their doors, she said.

For Lorraine Bellavance, “It went wonderfully.” The 70-year-old Auburn woman said she suffers from rheumatoid arthritus and had been afraid she wouldn’t be able to get a shot this year because of the reported shortages.

“I was ready to hibernate if I wasn’t able to get one,” she said. “I thought I’d have to hand out antiseptic towels to all of my house guests.”

Edward Ricker, 82, of Litchfield said he and his wife, Betty, have suffered bouts of pneumonia in the past.

They had always gone to their doctor to get their yearly flu shots, he said. This was the first time they had to go to a clinic for one.

Chuck Gill, spokesman for CMMC, said his hospital decided to hold its clinic at Lewiston’s Multi-Purpose Center and staff it with about 50 workers, noting none of the hospital’s facilities has a room large enough to accommodate the large number of people they expected to serve.

“It didn’t make much sense to have people standing out in the rain to get a flu shot,” he said. But the sky was clear Saturday morning.

DeMerchant said St. Mary’s had about 1,000 doses of the vaccine left over. Qualified recipients unable to attend Saturday’s clinics should contact one of the hospital’s neighborhood doctor’s offices to arrange for a shot, she said.

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