Denver
Colorado, Texas, and several other states began rationing the flu vaccine this week after their supplies ran perilously low and the manufacturers of the shots announced that they had run out. “It’s all gone,” said a spokesman for one of the companies, Chiron. A near-record number of Americans rushed to get vaccinated after doctors warned that this year’s outbreak could be the worst in a generation. A particularly virulent strain of the virus is going around, and even the vaccine may not offer total protection. Influenza kills 36,000 Americans in a typical year, but the Centers for Disease Control said 70,000 could die before this flu season ends in March. “It’s pretty close to a crisis,” a hospital official said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The 50-year battle for Western SaharaThe Explainer UK is latest country to back Moroccan plan to end decades-long dispute with Algerian-backed Polisario Front
-
What It Feels Like for a Girl: a 'fearless and compelling' coming-of-age dramaThe Week Recommends Ellis Howard dazzles in this 'sharply written' adaptation of Paris Lees' memoir
-
Sports betting is causing athletes to be abused and harassed onlineUnder the radar Baseball players, tennis stars and others have raised the alarm
