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Health Department Closes Seasonal Flu Shot Clinic

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Nov 3, 2009 11:18 pm US/Eastern

Health Department Closes Seasonal Flu Shot Clinic

OAKLAND (KDKA) ― While there's been a lot of talk about the shortage of the H1N1 flu vaccine, it's also becoming more difficult to find the regular seasonal flu vaccine.

In fact, Allegheny County has closed its flu clinic because it has simply run out. They've used up the last of 1,500 doses.

Dave Zazac from the health department says it has to do with the companies that make the vaccines.

"They had shifted production from conventional flu shots to the H1N1," he said. "That actually cut into the production of the conventional flu vaccine and that's why we're starting to experience what I like to call temporary shortfalls."

It's not just the health department that has run low. At the Medicine Shoppe pharmacy in Brookline they have just two flu shots left.

At Asti's South Hills Pharmacy, they sold out of 350 shots without advertising. Now Dan Asti is trying to find more.

"We probably called 10 different wholesalers trying to find it and the only one that we did find was charging up to $500 a bottle," he says, "which if you do the quick math that's $50 a shot and that's cost prohibitive."

In the meantime, he started a waiting list.

"But when the list turned into four college notebook sized pages and you're dealing with 100 people 200, you started figuring out you weren't going to be able to satisfy that entire need," he said.

The Allegheny County Health Department has ordered 1,500 more doses. As soon as they get them, they will reopen the clinic.   That could happen around Thanksgiving or Christmas.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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