Some Minn. clinics out of flu vaccine

The Minnesota Department of Health says it is aware of some cases where people haven't been able to get flu vaccine from their primary care clinics.

But the agency says there is no shortage of flu vaccine in the state.

"Vaccine is still available," said the department's Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology Kris Ehresmann. "You may need to work a little bit harder to find it because your primary provider might not have any right away."

Ehresmann said she suspects some clinics are choosing not to reorder vaccine once they've used up their supply.

"There are many years where they get left with extra vaccine and so they're glad that they have fully utilized it," she said. "They may have a level of reluctance to obtain more vaccine because they're not sure how long the demand will persist."

Ehresmann said in those situations, patients can look elsewhere for vaccine using the Health Department's "Find a Flu Shot Clinic" tool.

Ehresmann said local public health agencies have also increased the number of clinics and hours that they're offering flu vaccine.