GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Hundreds of people in Northeast Wisconsin remain on a waiting list for the shingles vaccination.
It’s because there has been a vaccine shortage since around this time last year.
The most effective shingles vaccination is called Shingrix.
Jeff Kirchner, the owner of Streu’s Pharmacy, said it lowers the risk of getting shingles by more than 90%.
“I think it’s about 33% will get shingles in their lifetime. Prior to 10 years ago there was no way to prevent that from happening and now that there is a vaccine and people are educated about it, we see people taking advantage of that,” said Kirchner.
Anyone who’s had chickenpox can get shingles, some of the first symptoms of shingles are a burning or tingling pain on your body. You might also feel like you have the flu.
“Shingles is a pretty severe disease. It takes weeks to heal, you can have complications after and some people will have the effects of it for the rest of your life,” he said.
The severity of the virus is why so many people are trying to get their hands on vaccinations.
“Most pharmacies in the area have not been able to get adequate supplies, so I’m talking about maybe every 3 months we get a few doses and our demand as far as people being on a waiting list is over 100,” said Kirchner.
Kirchner said the vaccine manufacturer plans to release larger amounts of the product more often. He encourages people to check in with their doctors on a regular basis until you can get the vaccination.
The Center for Disease Control recommends anyone 50 years or older get two doses of the vaccine. Click here to find a pharmacy with Shingrix in stock.
