Flu Vaccine Harder to Get in North Texas

The flu vaccine is getting harder to find in North Texas, just as the flu season here is peaking.

"We're seeing as lot of flu in the area, that's motivating people to come in and to get the flu shot," said Zachary Thompson with Dallas County Health and Human Services.

The Dallas County Health Department ran out of the adult vaccine on Thursday, sending Thompson looking for another 200 more for Friday.

He's ordering 1,000 more, which should arrive the middle of next week.

Many pharmacies are also running low.

"This is normally the end of the period where most people have expended their flu vaccine stock," Thompson said. "So they have a low amount of inventory of flu vaccine."

Dougherty's in North Dallas ordered more than 1,300 for the current flu season, and only has a few dozen left.

"At this rate, it will be out quickly but we'll take care of those that we can as they come in," said Dougherty’s pharmacist Wayne McMeans.

Its not just the flu vaccine, either.

Pharmacies can't get Tamiflu liquid formula right now, so Dougherty is compounding their own.

"The children's is what we're able to make because it's not available right now. So we are compounding that," said McMeans.

Demand for the flu vaccine is peaking along with the flu season.

The flu-related death of a teenager from Flower Mound is also prompting more people to get flu shots.

"A lot of people didn't get the flu shot," said Thompson. "So now with the tragic death of the young man in Flower Mound, people have been motivated to come out and get the flu shots."