Fighting Shingles: Whether to Take the Only Vaccine - WSJ.com

Fighting Shingles: Whether to Take the Only Vaccine - WSJ.com

If you do decide to get the vaccine, you might have trouble finding it: Merck has had supply problems due to a manufacturing glitch, and recently customers were facing shipping delays of up to 10 weeks, according to the company. Merck says it has resumed full-scale manufacturing, but it might take some time to reduce the shipping delays.

Some doctors don't keep the vaccine in stock because it's more complicated to store and administer than other vaccines. It needs to be stored in a freezer. Then, when a patient is ready to get the vaccine, it must be injected within 30 minutes after being thawed out.

The vaccine has a list price of more than $150. Much of the target population participates in Medicare's prescription-drug coverage, which pays for the vaccine but may require patient co-payments, depending on the plan. For those under 65 who aren't yet eligible for Medicare, the vaccine may be covered by private insurance.