Villages Healthcare System Flu Shots

[rdsmith4444]

10 days ago they didn’t have flu shots available. Called this week to set up a time. Was told they got them in and now are out in all locations. Said it would be 10 days to two weeks until they would have them again. Went to Publix with no issue. How can The Villages Health Care System run out of flu shots in such a short time when most snow birds aren’t back yet?

[PrudentLifer]

Open enrollment begins in one week.


"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears..."
George Orwell

[Ben Franklin]

I walked into Walgreens and got one, without waiting more than 5 minutes.

[bagboy]

Called two weeks ago and was told they hadn’t gotten them in yet. Called a week ago and was told they had them and I should call couple days ahead to set up an appointment. Called today and was told all locations are already out and it may be as long as two weeks until they will have them again. I went to Publix’s and got right away. How can the Villages Healthcare System run out this early.

Does it matter? You got your shot, you're good to go.

[B-flat]

I walked into Walgreens and got one, without waiting more than 5 minutes.

Plus 1, same experience my wife and I had.

[EdFNJ]

Publix also gives you a $10 gift card. Can't beat that. :D Wife and I got our shot at Publix (walked right in and was seen immediately) Saturday and for the first time as far back as I can remember we both got the same reaction from it. Low grade fever, headache, nausea, muscle aches (basically a very minor flu) ...... lasted less than 24hrs. Absolutely nothing to to with Publix but funny how we both got thew same reaction. Happened once many years ago but not since. Woman walked in after us and said she was waiting at Walgreens for 45 mins and walked out and came to Publix.

[alanmcdonald]

Called Villages Health yesterday and got appointments for me and my wife for today for flu shots at Pinellas.

[mfp509]

Got mine at Villages Health Mulberry Care Center last week. No problem.

[blueash]

Not to excuse Villages Health Care, but in "the old days" the way flu shots worked was that you placed your order with the manufacturer months ahead. And the kicker was of course that the product is not returnable. At say $10/dose if you ordered 1000 doses you now had $10,000 in vaccine in your refrigerator. If the CDC announced in October that the flu shot seemed not to be a good match or that it was going to be a lighter than average flu season, or there was a national news story about someone dying after getting a flu shot... you were stuck and ate the cost. Or there could be a story of 10 kids dying of influenza in a week and everyone wanted protection NOW.
It was very hard to judge demand. You could get a new shipment but that took a bit of time. So the goal was to order what you were fairly sure you could deliver to your patients. The kicker of course was that the carriers only paid a couple dollars more than my costs for the shot. Low profit, high risk.

[trichard]

Good luck. The Villages Health has notoriously ordered their flu supplies late and run out very quickly.

[New Englander]

I had no problem setting up an appointment at Pinellas Health and got my senior flu shot a week ago. I prefer to get the flu shot early in the season.

[Dan9871]

We got our flu shots at Pinellas Health Center last week. We didn't even schedule them, we just were at the Center for other reasons.

We've been getting our flu shots at Pinellas for six years now. Once or twice we have had to wait a few days for them to get the vaccine in stock. But that also happened to us on occasion when we lived in Massachusetts too. There is no way a practice can figure out how many shots to order. Ordering shots for every patient doesn't make sense; they would end up throwing half of them away.

[PersonalChoice]

My husband got his flu shot and got the flu. He was sick for two weeks. Has anyone else had this happen?

[PrudentLifer]

My husband got his flu shot and got the flu. He was sick for two weeks. Has anyone else had this happen?



From the CDC


Misconceptions about Seasonal Flu and Flu Vaccines | CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/misconceptions.htm)


"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears..."
George Orwell

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

My husband got his flu shot and got the flu. He was sick for two weeks. Has anyone else had this happen?

Takes up to a few weeks from being exposed, before you present symtoms, and you won't present symptoms just a couple of days after exposure. So if he got sick within a few days of getting the shot, it means he was already sick before he got the shot. He just didn't have symptoms yet.

The vaccine is a preventative, not a treatment.

[New Englander]

My husband got his flu shot and got the flu. He was sick for two weeks. Has anyone else had this happen?

You cannot get the flu from the flu shot.

[Nucky]

My husband got his flu shot and got the flu. He was sick for two weeks. Has anyone else had this happen?

Without a doubt, I'm with you. It was way less than the usual feelings I get after the shot each year but it was real and not imagined.

I get it about the written word. I guess I'm not the only one who imaginarily suffers after the shot when I felt fine before getting it.
Nucky MD. :1rotfl::1rotfl: I was lumped up a little over 24 hours.

Hope your husband feels better.

SANTA BARBARA Location of the Villages Health told me a few hours ago that the next supply of Flu Shots is expected sometime in the next two weeks. This is from my Doctors Nurse. Watch out for the line at Publix!

[John_W]

I got a flu shot from the VA Medical Facility at Mulberry on Sept 17th, my wife got hers at Walgreens at Pinellas Plaza the next week.

In 2015 I got an pneumonia shot that was good for ten years. In 2016 I got pneumonia that lasted about two months. It had gone away and then returned, I had to eventually go to a pulmonary doctor.

[EdFNJ]

In 2015 I got an pneumonia shot that was good for ten years. In 2016 I got pneumonia that lasted about two months. It had gone away and then returned, I had to eventually go to a pulmonary doctor. There was your mistake. Instead of getting a pneumonia shot you should have got an ANTI-pneumonia shot. Blame your doctor for that. :jester:

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

There are some potential side effects that some people experience when they get a flu shot. Usually it's just swelling and redness in the injection site on your arm. But very mild flu-like symptoms are known, but rare side effects. So if you felt a little achy and had a low-grade fever for a couple of days, that could certainly be a side-effect of the vaccine.

However - if you had the actual flu shortly after being vaccinated, it was not the shot giving you the flu. It was you, having the flu before you got the shot,and the symptoms showing up after the shot.

[Rrgolf]

Publix..and they will pay you!

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Publix..and they will pay you!

The CVS in Targets that have them too, you'll get a $5 Target store credit, and if you have insurance the shot is free.

[blueash]

In 2015 I got an pneumonia shot that was good for ten years. In 2016 I got pneumonia that lasted about two months. It had gone away and then returned, I had to eventually go to a pulmonary doctor.

Your post wrongly suggests that the shot you got failed to protect you. Common error. The pneumonia shot you were given protects you against one of the most common bacteria that can cause pneumonia [pneumococcus]. There are two different Prevnar vaccines, one against 13 strains based on those strains which were found to cause disease in children, and Prevnar 23 based on those in adults. Both are recommended for those over 65. So you were protected against certain strains on pneumococcus and only those strains.

There are 100's of different bacteria, viruses, and other organisms and chemicals that can and do cause pneumonia. In fact pneumococcus causes a fraction of clinical pneumonias but can be a serious cause. So the vaccine did not fail you, rather you likely were infected with one of the 100's of other agents causing pneumonia.

Think of it this way. Say we have a vaccine to prevent dog bites from pit bulls. It is well known that pit bulls are a serious cause of human bite injuries. And even if that vaccine works well it will not protect you from bites from poodles, shepherds …..

[philnpat]

And at Publix you get a $10 gift certificate and the shot is free!

[John_W]

Your post wrongly suggests that the shot you got failed to protect you. Common error. The pneumonia shot you were given protects you against one of the most common bacteria that can cause pneumonia [pneumococcus]...

It actually did fail me, I got pneumonia. Your comment is what my post was pointing out to others, that just because you've received a shot doesn't mean you're totally protected.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

It actually did fail me, I got pneumonia. Your comment is what my post was pointing out to others, that just because you've received a shot doesn't mean you're totally protected.

There are more than one strain of pneumonia. Your vaccine protected you from whichever strains are included in that vaccine. The pneumonia you got, would be for one of the strains of pneumonia that are not covered by the vaccine.

Just like if I get a flu shot against everything except avian flu - and end up getting avian flu. It's because the shot didn't include that particular strain of flu.

[asianthree]

How can The Villages Health Care System run out of flu shots in such a short time when most snow birds aren’t back yet?

It’s already a month into injections. Most Snowbirds already have their shots before coming here. Try working for a health care system, we are always last on the list, running out of the preserve Free is alwAys a problem.
I have reactions even to the preservative free, and even though I am exposed to over a hundred people a week, I have never had any strain of flu.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

It’s already a month into injections. Most Snowbirds already have their shots before coming here. Try working for a health care system, we are always last on the list, running out of the preserve Free is alwAys a problem.
I have reactions even to the preservative free, and even though I am exposed to over a hundred people a week, I have never had any strain of flu.

The CDC recommended shots later this year than last year. Usually August is the start of the vaccine season but they said to wait til at least mid-September. The vaccine protects for a certain number of months, and the season ended before that, if you got the shot in August. So you'd be vulnerable near the end of your dose if you got it too early.

[billethkid]

The shots take up to 4 weeks to become effective.....according to local pharmacist.