St. Charles Health System announced new, temporary requirements for visitors Tuesday in order to curtail the spread of influenza at its four hospitals.

Mosaic Medical and Deschutes County Health Services the same day announced public vaccination clinics Friday and Saturday.

Flu activity continues at a moderate level in Oregon, although elsewhere in the U.S. it has reached moderate-severe levels, said Dr. Rebecca Sherer, medical director of the St. Charles infection control and prevention department.

“It looks like we are on our way to having a bad year,” Sherer said. “Not a pandemic, not a new or unusual strain, but an abnormally high number of cases.”

St. Charles between Friday and Sunday tested 57 people for flu, with 22 positive results.

In the first nine days of January, the hospitals tested 232 people for 88 positive results.

Visitors to St. Charles hospitals will be required to use hand sanitizer provided at kiosks near hospital entrances. No visitors younger than 17 will be permitted in intensive care or neonatal intensive care units, and no visitors younger than 12 anywhere else in the hospitals.

Vaccine, widely available just a week ago, now is in short supply, said county Community Health Manager Tom Kuhn and Mosaic Medical, Bend, clinic nursing supervisor Diana Hergenraider. Deschutes County scheduled a two-hour clinic Friday; Mosaic plans one lasting four hours on Saturday.

The public demand for vaccine is high, fueled not only by an increasing number of people suffering flu-like symptoms, but by news coverage of the high number of flu cases in the Northeast, as well.

“Over the weekend, there was a lot of national coverage, as well as Oregon,” Hergenraider said Tuesday. “And Monday, we had four times as many phone calls in the first two hours.”

Some pharmacies and clinics still have a supply available, Kuhn said. The county clinic is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday but geared primarily for anyone without insurance or covered by the Oregon Health Plan. Insurance plans are not accepted, and the cost per dose is $15.19.

The vaccine is available on a first-come, first-served basis; a limited amount of flu mist vaccine is available for children age 2 and younger. Vaccines will be available at the county Health Services Building, 2577 N.E. Courtney Drive, Bend.

Kuhn declined to say how much vaccine the county has available. He gauged the number of phone calls, which he said has declined since Thursday, along with demand at other clinics to make an educated guess about the amount of vaccine to order.

Hergenraider said Mosaic Medical will have about 350 shots available 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday at its Bend clinic, 409 N.E. Greenwood Ave. For patients without insurance, the cost per dose is $30 for those age 18 and older, and $15 for those younger than 18; cash, debit or credit cards will be accepted. Insurance plans will be billed.

Mosaic clients will be charged according to a sliding scale.

Depending on the demand Saturday, Mosaic may try to schedule another clinic next week, Hergenraider said.

This year, flu vaccine is in high demand, but as recently as last year, unused doses were tossed in the trash.

“In a lot of seasons, we end up wasting it,” Sherer said.

St. Charles created an influenza incident command, partly to keep an eye on any flu cases inside the health system hospitals.

Sherer said hospitals in Oregon cannot require vaccinations as a condition of employment. Many St. Charles employees are vaccinated against influenza, but not all, she said.

“I think this is a public safety issue for the state of Oregon, and should be fixed immediately,” Sherer said Tuesday.

However, any employee with flu symptoms is sent home instantly, she said. Flu vaccine is available on all shifts, and the company provides financial incentives — hundreds of dollars in gift certificates — to encourage all employees to get their shots, she said.

“There is an acute emphasis on having everyone who is a caregiver get it,” she said. “But we cannot coerce.”

Flu vaccine clinics

Deschutes County Health Services Department

2577 N.E. Courtney Drive, Bend

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday

All ages

Cost: $15.19, private insurance not accepted

Limited amount of flu mist for ages 2 years and older

Information: 541-322-7400

Mosaic Medical

409 N.E. Greenwood Ave., Bend

8 a.m.-12 a.m. Saturday

Ages 4 years and older only

Cost: $30 for uninsured ages 18 and older; $15 younger than 18

Insurance, cash, credit or debit cards accepted

Mosaic clients billed on sliding scale.

Information: 541-383-3005