SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., -The Drive-Through Flu Shot Clinic scheduled this Saturday has been postponed due to delayed shipment of the vaccine. Both Regional West Medical Center and Horizons West Medical Group, PC have received only partial shipments of their annual flu vaccine orders. More than 1,500 people have been vaccinated at the two public clinics held so far this year.

“We regret any inconvenience this postponement may cause,” said Marsha Meyer, RN, Regional West epidemiology and infection control specialist. “We planned and promoted the clinics before the manufacturers announced that they were having production and shipping delays.”

All previously scheduled drive-through, walk-in and work site clinics will be postponed until a full shipment of vaccine is received. Meyer said the hospital and Horizons West Medical Group hope to receive the rest of their vaccine supply and hold walk-in flu shot clinics in early December.

“Typically, flu season begins around the first of the year, so December is not too late to be vaccinated,” said Meyer. “In fact, experts recommend not giving flu shots too early, which is why we don’t give them until mid-October. It takes about two weeks for the vaccination to become fully effective and it lasts through the flu season. We hope everyone who is at risk for complications of the flu will be sure to get a shot at one of the clinics we will hold next month.”

Regional West Medical Center and Horizons West Medical Group will announce the dates of the walk-in flu clinics as soon as the vaccine shipment arrives. For more information about the Regional West flu shot clinics, please call the Community Health office at (308) 630-1126.

Regional West Medical Center, with approximately 1,200 employees, is an acute care hospital that serves western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. With over 80 active physicians, 95 percent of whom are board certified or board eligible, plus an additional 25 consulting specialists, we offer care that spans more than 40 medical specialties. The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is one of only three Level II Trauma Centers in the state of Nebraska.