Flu vaccine is beginning to arrive in the Northern San Joaquin Valley and foothills, but many people are still waiting for their shots.

After a lengthy delay nationwide, some public health departments and medical groups have received shipments and are starting to give vaccinations.

But some supermarkets, doctors and health departments haven't gotten enough vaccine yet, leaving people wondering exactly when they'll get their shots.

"We were concerned because we knew the shots were going to be late this year," said Darrell Silvers, 78, who lined up for a shot Wednesday with his wife at the Modesto Senior Center. "We want to make sure we don't get sick."

Delays in manufacturing the vaccine prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to ask organizations offering mass flu shots to wait until November to ensure that vaccine would be on hand. Typically, flu shots are offered in late September or early October.

CDC officials gave two reasons for the slow distribution of the vaccine: a problem growing a specific influenza strain and action taken by the federal Food and Drug Administration against two vaccine manufacturers.

They also called upon health departments to first give shots to the elderly, infirm and those with weakened immune systems.

Health departments in the foothills and Northern San Joaquin Valley listened and are offering shots to people 60 and older and people with health problems, like lung disease and diabetes, that put them at risk for the flu.

Stanislaus County public health workers began giving the shots Wednesday. Tuolumne County clinics will start Monday. Merced County clinics will begin Nov. 16.

San Joaquin County health officials, however, canceled three flu shot clinics this week because they don't yet have enough vaccine to go around.

Distribution of flu vaccine is also spotty among doctors.

Gould Medical Group received plenty of vaccine, and patients there are now rolling up their sleeves for the shots. But doctors with Modesto's Cornerstone Family Practice were told their patients will have to wait.

"We're really not sure when we're going to get it," said nursing supervisor Cindy Phillips, who's advising patients to call back after Nov. 15.

While Bay Area doctors claim corporations and grocery stores are receiving flu vaccine before they are, that's not the case here.

The Modesto Bee this week pushed back flu shots because its parent company, McClatchy Newspapers, had not yet received vaccine from a distributor in Pennsylvania. Save Mart, Longs and Raley's also have postponed flu shots.

Save Mart and Longs get vaccine from the Visiting Nurses Association of the Central Valley, which doesn't expect its first shipment of vaccine until Nov. 20.

"The customers are very concerned," said Michele Snider, director of pharmacies for Save Mart stores. "We have a lot of elderly people who are worried because they're not getting the vaccine."

There's no need to worry, at least not yet, said Rose Ann Peterson, a supervising public health nurse in Stanislaus County.

After getting a flu shot, it takes two weeks for a person to develop immunity to the bug, she said. Because flu season doesn't peak until late December, vaccines given in late November still should protect against flu.

Public health officials want people to remember that there's no shortage of flu vaccine, just a delay in manufacturing it.

People who flooded a flu shot clinic last month in Escalon could have been confused, said a spokeswoman for the Oak Valley Hospital District, which offered the shots.

So many people came that workers used up much of their vaccine supply, which was supposed to last through two more flu clinics. Those clinics, scheduled for today and Tuesday, have been canceled and may be rescheduled later.

"Remember, we know we'll have enough vaccine for everybody at some point," said Ginger Wick, immunization coordinator for San Joaquin County. "The only question is when."

Reprinted by permission of Modesto Bee.