As flu season begins to take hold, the supply of vaccine in Vicksburg is spotty.

River Region Health System reported a limited supply and priority being given to elderly and other high-risk patients at its facilities, including Family Medicine Clinic on Mission 66, Street Clinic on McAuley Drive and Vicksburg Clinic on North Frontage Road.

&#8220Through today, we have received 7,000 doses of flu vaccine of the total 22,500 doses that were ordered,” said Tim McManus, chief operating officer of River Region Health System, who blamed the shortage on a delay in production by a worldwide manufacturer. &#8220We have been giving flu shots to high priority/high risk patients since the first of October,” he said.

The Warren County Health Department on Monroe Street, however, reported being well-stocked with the vaccine for all flu shot-seekers. &#8220We’ve got a good supply,” said the department’s Salena Greenlee. &#8220It’s available to anyone.”

Bill Fulcher, administrator for Mission Primary Care on Mission 66, said his clinic is sold out and the timetable for receiving more from the clinic’s supplier remains uncertain. When the next shipment does come in, Fulcher said, it will be far less than called for by the original order.

&#8220We’re out,” he said Monday. &#8220We’re expecting a partial shipment…probably in the next two weeks. But it won’t be enough.”

In the past, the Centers for Disease Control has asked healthy people or those with a better ability to fight the disease to delay getting flu shots to allay possible shortages. This year, the CDC asked healthier individuals only to wait until after Oct. 24 to be immunized.

Flu season extends from as early as October or November through the early Spring months. The CDC estimates between 5 percent and 20 percent of Americans annually are hit with the flu, and the disease kills about 36,000 each year. This year’s vaccine formulation does not include protection against avian or &#8220bird flu,” which is a much more aggressive disease. No cases of that flu have been reported in the United States.

While annual vaccinations are advisable for most, some people should not get a flu shot without consulting their doctor. That group includes: