Christchurch pharmacies are experiencing a surge in demand for the flu vaccine amid shortages across the country.
Pharmacies and medical centres have been administering the vaccine for vulnerable groups this month, such as people over 65-years-old, the immunocompromised, health care and frontline workers.
Like others, Wilson's Barrington Pharmacy received the allocated 60 vaccines after previously running out, and they now have less than 20 left.
Said pharmacist vaccinator Ken Sheat: "We've seen a lot more people come in over 65-years-old who haven't had the vaccination for a few years, or people who haven't been vaccinated previously," he said.
"That's why there's that extra demand on the influenza vaccine, and why there's been unprecedented shortages."
Mr Sheat said this surge reflected the anxiety people felt about Covid-19; who have been "coming in all at once."
He said some customers told him that their families were urging them to get vaccinated because of the virus.
Originally, the influenza vaccine was meant to be available for the general population from April 13, but that date has since been extended to April 27 in order to continue prioritising the vulnerable.
Mr Sheat anticipates large queues at the pharmacy once it is publicly available, but was concerned about meeting demand and questioned if there will be enough for everyone in New Zealand who wanted one.
Riccarton Clinic general manager Mark Darvill said they have not experienced large queues in spite of administering thousands of vaccines to vulnerable people.
"Our vulnerable patients are invited to an appointment because that's the way you keep both patients and staff safe, by limiting the number of people that arrive at one time," he said.
He said he was not expecting queues outside the clinic because the public would be using the same appointment system once it was available to them later this month.
Some medical centres in Dunedin described chaotic scenes outside clinics when new batches of the vaccine arrived this week.
The area has a large number of people who are considered vulnerable and health providers have been struggling to meet demand.
Hundreds of people queued in their cars on the streets of Mosgiel, west of Dunedin, creating bumper to bumper traffic, lining up for the drive-through service.
Police were called to managed traffic.
