News that more flu shots are arriving in Williams Lake this week is good news for Terry Nasuszny.
Nasuszny’s husband Wallie has cancer and was able to get his flu shot, but when Terry tried to get one she discovered there were not any more available.
“It is way better if I can get mine too because if I came in contact with the flu I wouldn’t be dragging it home,” she said. “We have grandchildren that I look after a lot and three of them are under the age of six and I wouldn’t want to expose them to the flu either.”
After the Tribune notified Interior Health on Friday, Pam de Bruin, manager of communicable diseases and immunization programs said Monday more flu shots were being sent to Williams Lake and should arrive in the next day or two.
Initially Interior Health ordered 10,000 doses less than last year and then got another 7,700 about two weeks ago in an additional order because the request for flu shots was very robust this season.
“It is a very challenging process to meet the demand across a geography as big as Interior Health,” de Bruin said. “We are on a daily basis re-evaluating our inventory and moving vaccines around.”
She said they have known for a while that there weren’t enough flu shots available in Williams Lake for the demand.
“I would encourage people to check back with their pharmacist in Williams Lake,” she added. “We are trying to move it tomorrow (Tuesday), but logistically I don’t know when it will land in pharmacists’ hands, we don’t have much left for appointments in Interior Health with the holiday season.”
Nasuszny said driving to Quesnel or other communities to get the flu shot is not an option for everybody, so it is good she will be able to finally get one when they arrive.
“Getting a flu shot is important,” Nasuszny said.
“I know not everybody thinks that way, but I do.”