Where Is the Vaccine: Why Kazakhstanis Are Unable to Get Flu Shots

Kazakhstan's annual flu vaccination campaign, originally scheduled to launch on September 15, has been delayed due to vaccine supply shortages. Local clinics currently lack doses for both free high-risk coverage and paid administration.

The Ministry of Health reported that over 2.2 million doses of the Russian-made "Grippol Plus" vaccine were purchased. However, delivery schedules shifted because of annual updates to the vaccine's strain composition and registration procedures at the National Center for Expertise of Medicines.

With registration now finalized, the first batch of flu vaccines is expected to arrive in early October. Meanwhile, health authorities confirmed that 51,937 ARVI cases have been recorded since early September - down 1.8 times from last year- with zero confirmed influenza cases so far.