Lin Ting, deputy director general of the DOH’s Centers for Disease Control, said the centers hope to first give the remaining available free shots to those who are vulnerable to influenza before offering them to the public next month.

Lin urged those over 65 years of age, children between six months and three years old, elementary students between the first and fourth grades, medical professionals, those who live in nursing homes or other care facilities, and those who are in the poultry sector to get the shots immediately.

He noted that the centers purchased 3.2 million flu vaccine doses this year, and around 700,000 shots were left as of Monday.

“Due to the enthusiastic response to the free shots, only around 610,000 shots for adults and around 80,000 shots for children are left,” he said. He estimated that when the shots are offered to the public Dec. 1, there will be around 600,000 shots left.

The CDC estimated the influenza outbreak this year will peak in early January, and because it takes about two weeks after getting a flu shot for the vaccine to provide full protection, Lin urged the public to get shots no later than mid-December.

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