Lottery Awards All Who Registered A Shot at the Coveted Flu Vaccination

Matthew Hersh

The day so many Princetonians were waiting for finally came Friday when hundreds of eligible recipients who registered for a flu vaccine lottery were able to receive their much-coveted shot.

Last month, when the U.K.-based Chiron Corp., responsible for an estimated half of the American supply of flu vaccinations, had its license suspended because of sterility concerns, it caused a nationwide wave of concern as people rushed to get the few shots that were available. Like many other communities, Princeton resorted to a lottery format, allotting what vaccine it was able to acquire only to those in the "high risk" category, namely the elderly, infants, and those with chronic illnesses.

The Princeton Regional Heath Department (PRHD), which once predicted it would not have enough shots, was able to accommodate every resident registered in the lottery. While PRHD health officer David Henry was not able to give an official patient count, he said the 725 flu shots were enough for everyone who had responded to the lottery.

"I have to hand it to the volunteers and the Princeton Senior Resource Center," Mr. Henry said, clearly relieved. "It's one thing to get the vaccine, it's another thing to be able to carry this out and have everything run smoothly."

In addition to the Senior Resource Center, volunteers included representatives from Princeton Home Care Services, the Delaware Valley Princeton Pediatric, and physicians from the Princeton HealthCare System (PHCS).

At 12:30 p.m., when volunteers first started to administer the shots, lines extended "half-way to Nassau Street," according to Dr. Kathy Ales, of Merwick Rehab Hospital & Nursing Care. "It was really buzzing," she said.

The health department received a limited quantity of vaccine, about 42 percent less than the approximate 1,400 doses normally allocated.

Mr. Henry initially estimated the access to vaccine would fall somewhere in the "low hundreds." But the shipment ultimately exceeded those estimates – so much so, in fact, that the PRHD did not have to use the full allocation. Mr. Henry said that surplus would be put back in the pool for long-term care facilities throughout the state. "This way, other folks will be able to get the vaccine through other avenues."

In years past, excess vaccine has been somewhat taken for granted, Mr. Henry said, "Previously, you'd run across a situation where companies had to throw out vaccine, because you didn't have enough people taking the shots."

This year, however, residents weren't taking the vaccine for granted.

"I didn't win the lottery? I thought I won something!" quipped Marvin Goldberg of Greenholm Court. While Mr. Goldberg receives a flu shot annually, this year was a bit different. For him and millions of other Americans, the lack of vaccine added a sense of urgency.

"In this country, if you can't get something, you want it bad, and it becomes that much more important," he said.