Suppliers Working to Meet Expected High Demand for Flu Vaccine

None of these groups ever gets fully immunized, however. Two years ago, 66 percent of those older than 65 got flu shots. With last year's shortage, the figure was 63 percent. Health care workers are a priority group because they can spread flu to their patients, but their vaccination rate is even lower. In 2003, 40 percent were vaccinated; last season, it was 36 percent.

After more than 130 U.S. children died from influenza or its complications in the 2003-04 season, the government began advising that all healthy toddlers get flu shots. The fact that 48 percent did the next year "suggests how quickly physicians and parents can adopt a new disease-prevention guideline," a CDC official wrote in a report this year.

This season, many health care providers, especially those caught short last year by ordering through only one source, hedged their bets.

The Anne Arundel County health department placed orders with all four companies "as a measure of covering all our bases and getting an adequate amount of vaccine," spokesperson Elin Jones said. Its clinics for county residents will begin next week, and about a third of 30,000 doses are in stock.

The county's flu information line is fielding inquiries, but "there is not that urgency or concern" that ratcheted to near-panic last October with news of the shortage. People "feel they will be able to get vaccine," she said.

The District health department raised its goal by more than 2,000 doses, hoping to administer more than 21,100 shots this season. It expects to have all in hand by mid-November.

Virginia's local health departments are waiting for more than half of their 230,000 doses -- up 27 percent from 2004. Jim Farrell, director of the state division of immunization, said he is not worried about shortages but acknowledged that nearly every aspect of flu season is unpredictable.

This early, there's nothing but anecdotal evidence on how the public is responding. Calls to the Inova Health System's "Fight the Flu" hotline have climbed dramatically in the past two weeks, as have inquiries from groups hoping to schedule vaccination clinics.

"The early returns would suggest that the volume of calls . . . is ahead of what we normally see," said Inova epidemiologist Allan Morrison. Inova has 45,000 doses in stock, with 35,000 more expected soon.

But late Thursday afternoon, there were three chairs, two nurses, plenty of shots and no line at the Giant grocery on Eighth Street NW.

Four hours of work yielded 75 vaccinated shoppers, many in their late sixties and early seventies, or with health problems such as diabetes and hypertension. Nevertheless, that was far below the usual 300 during the heart of a flu season.

"We have spurts, then it slows down," said nurse Meredith Higgins, with Maxim Health Systems.

Harriett Harper happened by and was surprised by the lack of a crowd. The retired federal economist had meant to call her doctor, but she said she did not want to pass up this opportunity. She got a flu shot and, for the first time, a second vaccine that protects against pneumococcal pneumonia.

"One in the left arm, one in the right," she said, and then kept on shopping.