EUROPE: Fearing an overwhelming ‘twindemic,’ governments urged flu shots — and triggered shortages

Major pharmacies have halted flu shot appointments. Doctors’ offices are putting people on waiting lists — or telling them to call back in December. Although the government has urged calm and said more supplies are on the way, a survey of general practitioners in Britain found that only a quarter expect to have enough flu vaccine to last the winter. 

The story is similar in many countries across Europe. As coronavirus cases rise, urgings from public health officials about the need to avoid a “twindemic” has upped demand for flu vaccines — and, in some places, triggered shortages. Governments are rationing flu shots to those most vulnerable, while they scramble for supplies....

Ann Moen, World Health Organization’s chief of influenza preparedness and response, has acknowledged that some Northern Hemisphere countries are having trouble sourcing additional flu vaccines. The United States says it has plenty of doses stocked, but many countries in Europe don’t....