Flu vaccine already available in metro Atlanta

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It may be the depths of summer, but flu shots are already available in metro Atlanta.

The vaccine was produced slightly earlier this year -- in early August instead of late August, said Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is also the biggest batch ever produced, he said.

Manufacturers anticipated more demand and made 160 million doses for the 2010-2011 flue season, Skinner told the AJC Monday. That compares with 114 million last year.

The increased production resulted from new guidelines. In years past, the flu vaccine was recommended for only some populations: children, parents of small children, the sick and the elderly.

This year, Skinner said, officials are recommending that everyone aged 6 months and older get vaccinated.

The new doses include the H1N1 strain, commonly known as swine flu. Last year, a second batch had to be produced with that strain when the virus hit after the first vaccine already was out.

It's already being administered at pharmacies such as those in the Publix and Kroger grocery stores.

Last year, Publix got the vaccine in September, company spokeswoman Maria Brous told the AJC.

"It just appears that the vaccine has become available earlier and earlier each year," she said.

Skinner said there is no reason to wait until it gets cold to get a flu shot.

"If people get vaccinated now," he said, "they should be well-protected into the spring of 2011."