Shortages seen locally in testing and treatment for flu

LELAND, NC (WWAY) —  Nearly a hundred people have died from the flu in North Carolina. Medical professionals are having to deal with shortages in shots and treatment entering the peak of the flu season.

Notices are up at clinics like FastMed Urgent Care in Leland informing people about shortages in test kits. The biggest issue for this clinic are flu shots.

They say they are seeing the worst flu season in over a decade.

With that they are trying to make sure shots or vaccines specifically go to patients younger than 2 or older than 65.

Overall they are seeing shots and Tamiflu, which treats the flu, running low.

“The CVSs, the Walgreens, the Targets all of those are running low so we are trying to just stay to again under the age of two and over the age of sixty-five,” said Bradley Alsip PA-C who is a physician’s assistant at the Leland Urgent Care. “Some of the people that fall in the middle there, they may be immuno-compromised or have other illnesses so we are prescribing that too.”

Professionals at the urgent care say it could take two weeks before the flu takes affect. They encourage people to prevent from spreading the flew by keeping their hands clean and cover coughs or sneezes.