Flu shots restored

An expected shortage in state-supplied flu vaccines has been remedied, said town health officials, and Upton will now reinstate its free flu shot clinics for all town residents who want them. The first will be held on Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the Upton Senior Center. Last month, the Board of Health had announced it would only vaccinate uninsured and underinsured town residents, given the fact that the town expected to receive only half the number of doses it usually gets. “We don’t have excess money to purchase our own flu vaccines, and we were missing a very large segment of the population that had come to depend on us for their flu shots,’’ said Patricia Parent, town nurse and health agent, of the shortage. “The state listened, and they heard, and they allocated some more money so that the Department of Public Health could purchase some 850,000 more doses.’’ Residents are asked to preregister by calling 508-529-3110. For more information, visit upton.ma.us. - James O’Brien