QUILCENE — If you fit the high-risk flu category, Merrily Mount is happy and ready to get right to the point with you.
And you don’t need to go to Canada.
Mount, the family nurse practitioner at Jefferson Healthcare hospital’s South County Medical Clinic in Quilcene for the past 10 years, has injected between 600 and 700 people with influenza vaccine, many living in Jefferson, Clallam and Kitsap counties.
Late Monday afternoon, she vaccinated a busload of 22 high-risk seniors from the Bainbridge Island Senior Center.
Busloads more could visit the Quilcene clinic this week, the result of an unexpected windfall of flu vaccine in Jefferson County.
“We’re the county with the vaccine,” says a smiling Mount, who cheerfully lined up the Bainbridge Islanders for their shots.
Different manufacturer
But what about the flu vaccine shortage that’s plaguing the United States?
“There is still a shortage,” said Paula Dowdle, Jefferson Healthcare chief operating officer.
“But we happened to order vaccine from Aventis (Pasteur).”
The shortage hit home early in October after the global biopharmaceutical company, Chiron, lost its license to produce vaccines, leaving the U.S. short by 54 million doses.
The shortage led to rationing, which led to federal Centers for Disease Control and state health department recommendations limiting vaccinations to children between ages 6 and 23 months, adults 65 and older and those with “long-term health problems.”
The latter include those with heart, lung or kidney disease, asthma, diabetes and anemia.
The shortage also led some elderly people to travel by ferry or tour bus to Victoria and other Canadian border cities, where some clinics and pharmacies have been setting aside privately acquired vaccine for Americans.
As it happened, Jefferson Healthcare this year ordered 5,350 doses from another pharmaceutical company, Aventis Pasteur of Britain, the hospital’s preferred provider.
“Then when there was the notice of the shortage we ordered more,” said Dowdle, adding that Aventis is preferred by the county for its preservative-free flu vaccines.
Jefferson County received 5,000 more doses, and Dowdle admits she has “no idea” how such good fortune fell upon them.