State drops flu vaccine age to 50

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The shift downward has come to make sure the vaccine gets used.

If you’re an aging baby boomer, those extra years will qualify you for a flu shot starting this week.

Oregon public health officials agreed Monday to make flu vaccine available to people age 50 and over to ensure that all available flu vaccine will be used.

Flu vaccine has been rationed since early October, after production problems caused more than 60 million doses to be destroyed for fear of contamination.

Flu vaccine is made each year for specific viruses, so it cannot be held over for the following flu season.

Flu shots will also now be available to people who are out-of-home caregivers and those who have daily contact with people in the high priority groups that previously had access to the vaccine.

Jackson County public health officials will give flu shots from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the health department offices at 1005 E. Main St. in Medford. The vaccine will cost $20. The county will bill Regence BlueCross, Medicare and the Oregon Health Plan, and will provide a receipt for people who want to file a reimbursement claim with other health insurance providers.

The county has about 3,000 doses of vaccine, said Hank Collins, director of health and human services.

“To our knowledge, we’re the only ones who have vaccine,” he said.

He encouraged anyone who intends to get a flu shot to wear loose fitting clothing to make nurses’ work go faster.

“We’ll have six or seven vaccinators,” he said. “People shouldn’t have to wait long.”

Collins said demand for the vaccine seemed to drop off because many people came to terms with the notion that they were not going to get a flu shot this year.

Oregon’s decision aligns with new recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The flu vaccine has been given only to people over age 65, people with debilitating medical conditions such as diabetes, and children ages 6 months to 23 months, pregnant women and health-care workers.

Flu cases have been identified in six Oregon counties so far this season: Clackamas, Crook, Klamath, Multnomah, Wallowa and Washington.

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