Lockheed Martin Donates 270 Flu Vaccine Doses to Tioga County
OWEGO, NY, 02-DEC-04 -- Lockheed Martin donated 270 flu vaccine doses to the Tioga County Health Department to mitigate the current vaccination shortage.
“This season’s shortage of flu vaccinations has made it more challenging to ensure that Tioga County’s citizens are adequately protected.” said Hans Peeters, director, Tioga County Health Department. “Donations like these move us significantly closer to our goal of reaching all of this area’s most vulnerable people.”
Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego received a shipment of flu vaccine as part of its annual program to make flu shots available in the workplace to employees requesting them. When the nationwide flu vaccine shortage became apparent earlier this year, the company asked employees not in high-risk categories as defined by the Centers for Disease Control to forgo shots.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those considered at high risk for the flu include individuals older than 65 years, children ages six to 23 months, adults and children with certain chronic health conditions, women pregnant during flu season, health care workers directly involved with patient care, residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and caregivers and household contacts of children less than 6 months. Because of the shortage of flu vaccines, the CDC initiated a “most vulnerable” protocol, which meant high-risk individuals receive the shot. The Tioga County Department of Health will determine the allocation of the shots donated by Lockheed Martin.
