Christmas came early for the Ingham County Health Department.

After almost three months of waiting, the health department received its first shipment of the flu vaccine late last week.

And although it’s late in the flu season, the vaccinations can still be effective, Ingham County Disease Control Supervisor Judy Williams said.

“We go by confirmed cases where someone shows up in the emergency room and has a throat culture done and it shows that the person has influenza,” she said, adding that there is a flu mimic circulating that is not actually influenza.

“So far we haven’t had any confirmed cases of influenza in Ingham county,” Williams said. “If we get a confirmed case, then our concern lies with that.”

Shipments of the vaccine were delayed nationwide because of manufacturing problems.

During the delay, the Centers for Disease Control suggested restricting vaccinations to those considered to be high-risk individuals.

High-risk individuals include those aged 65 or older, those who live and work in chronic care facilities, people with chronic compromised immune systems and pregnant women in their third trimester.

The county received about 30 percent of its total shipment and finally has enough to make doses available to the public. After two immunization clinics this week, it has about 17,000 doses left. Before this week, the health department was operating with 150 doses borrowed from Olin Health Center.

But Williams said she is unsure when they will receive the rest of their shipment.

“We ask on a regular basis and they don’t make us any promises,” she said. “But we keep asking anyway.”

The delayed vaccines have caused problems at Olin also. The health center had to cancel a vaccination clinic that was scheduled for October, said Kathleen Braunlich, Olin communications and planning coordinator.

“We found