At least 1.5 million doses of flu vaccine have arrived in Colorado, about 10 percent of which has been distributed to private providers and public health departments involved in the Vaccines for Children program.
Health officials are recommending that everyone over the age of 6 months receive a flu shot this year.
Kids qualify for no-cost vaccinations if they are on Medicaid or they have no insurance or they are an Alaska Native or American Indian.
So far there have been only a few confirmed cases of flu, but the season is just beginning.
“It is obvious that flu is starting to enter our community, with a couple of cases confirmed by the lab. We usually don’t see a peak until January, February or March,” said Joni Reynolds, director of Colorado immunizations with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Most cases, both in Colorado and nationally, have been H1N1 or H3N2, two of the strains among three that this year’s immunizations are designed to prevent. The vaccine also protects against Type B influenza.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
