The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shingles
Shortage affecting many who need second dose of vaccine.
Finding a place to get your first shot of the shingles vaccine, or second required dose, is getting as difficult as scoring “Hamilton” tickets.
Many pharmacy outlets at chains like Publix and Walgreens have reported problems obtaining vaccines and waiting lists are growing.
The vaccine’s manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, acknowledged in November that “demand has exceeded supply” but that “there have been no manufacturing issues.”
The shortage problem for the Shingrix vaccine is nationwide, reports Healthline. “The shortage of Shingrix appears to be due largely to an unprecedented demand for the drug,” the health website said.
The vaccine is a two-step process: the first shot, then a second shot two to six months later. Shingrix is recommended for adults 50 and over to prevent shingles (aka herpes zoster), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Shingrix is more than 90 percent effective in preventing shingles, the CDC said.
Shingrix is the preferred drug to help prevent shingles, which is characterized by a painful rash and is caused by a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. People who are most susceptible are those who have had chickenpox, and it’s more common in people over 50, but children can develop shingles, too.
According to the CDC, almost 1 out of 3 people in the United States will develop shingles at some point. There are an estimated 1 million cases of shingles every year in the U.S. Though there has been some difficulty obtaining Shingrix, there is no significant upshot or epidemic in cases.
Still, many people want the vaccine — especially those who got the first dose in the summer of 2018 and are now overdue.
“Due to high levels of demand for the GSK’s Shingrix vaccine, GSK has implemented order limits and providers have experienced shipping delays.,” said Kristen Nordlund, spokeswoman for the CDC.
The forecast isn’t especially glowing, either.
“It is anticipated order limits and shipping delays will continue throughout 2019,” Nordlund said.
In response, GSK increased the U.S. supply for 2018 and plans to make even more doses available in the U.S. in 2019, the CDC added. “Additionally, GSK will continue to release doses to all customer types on a consistent and predictable schedule during 2019.”
GSK spokesman Sean Clements told Healthline that the pharmaceutical company plans to ship “large volumes” of the vaccine twice monthly to providers and is “planning on bringing significantly more doses to the United States for 2019 compared to” 2018.
GSK said about 7 million doses of Shingrix were administered globally since 2017, and nearly two-thirds, or 70 percent, of the recipients completed both recommended dosages.
“Shingrix has been met by unprecedented demand by healthcare providers and patients,” Clements told Healthline. “Providers are immunizing patients at a rate several times what was previously seen for shingles. Because of this demand, patients may find their provider or pharmacy is temporarily out of stock. They should check back often or ask the pharmacy to contact them when they are restocked.”
So what do you do while you wait?
Try to chill, health officials say. And keep tapping that Shingrix Vaccine Finder site on the internet to see when your provider received a shipment.
“You should make every effort to get the second dose of Shingrix between two and six months after you got the first dose,” the CDC’s Nordlund said.. “If your doctor or pharmacist is out of Shingrix, you can use the Vaccine Finder to help find other providers who have Shingrix. You can also contact pharmacies in your area and request to be put on a waiting list for Shingrix if they do not have the vaccine in stock.”
Though that second dose is necessary to make that first shot fully effective, don’t despair — and don’t give up, the CDC said.
“If it’s been more than six months since you got the first dose, you should get the second dose as soon as possible,” Nordlund said. “You don’t need to restart the vaccine series.”