People identified as high risk are those with compromised immune systems, the elderly, cancer patients, anyone with heart problems or diabetes and people with lung problems or asthma. If we get a last minute shipment and are able to inoculate our community, we will make shots available in some way. And much of the delay in delivery tends to be linked to geography and not supplies. Some areas of the country have enough to spare while others are still waiting for their shipments, explains Dr. El-Bayoumi. With the delays, the big question remains, is December soon enough to get protection against the flu.
Most people take about a couple of weeks to get the full protection of the flu vaccine.
We ll keep our fingers crossed as to when the flu season actually hits, but most of the time it peaks in late December, early January. Dr. El-Bayoumi praises the public health community for acting responsibly in the face of the delays and the CDC for creating calm when there could have been chaos. It s kind of like predicting the weather or getting the Farmer s Almanac. The CDC tries to do its best forecasting but in it s still a guesstimate. That s why developing the flu vaccine can be so tricky as it was this year.