Flu shots are in short supply nationwide again this year, and Times Supermarkets joined the list of providers canceling clinics this week. But a new option is available this weekend.

Flu shots will be offered at all Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs throughout the country on a first-come, first-serve basis, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow.

Enough vaccine will be available to immunize at least the first 100 people at each store, officials said.

"That includes all the stores in Hawai'i, for sure and for certain" said Steve Riley, a spokesman for InterFit Health, a Mainland-based medical company that is working with Wal-Mart to run the clinics.

The shots, administered here by Flying Nurses International, cost $24 for all but Medicare Part B patients, and are payable by check or cash. Exact change is requested. The immunizations are free for Medicare Part B enrollees with a valid picture ID.

Following a trend developing throughout the country, Times Supermarkets announced earlier this week it is canceling all clinics for November and December.

Doctors and clinics ordered flu shots based on demand levels from previous years.

In previous years, however, the shots were recommended only for people at high risk because of age or medical condition.

Late last month, the Centers for Disease Control and the Hawai'i Department of Health advised everyone, regardless of age or health, to get shots this season.

Although the flu shots are not geared toward bird flu, health officials said, avoiding the spread of regular flu could help protect populations from mutations of avian flu or other potential pandemics.

Flu shot providers were not prepared for the increased demand. Like Times, many are canceling clinics. Others are restricting the shots to those patients considered at high risk.

More information on the Wal-Mart clinics is available at www.findmeaflushot.com, or by calling the Wal-Mart and Sam's Club flu shot hotline at (866) 475-6728.

The hot line is answered 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Standard Time, which is 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Hawai'i.

Information on flu shot providers is available by calling Aloha United Way's information line by dialing 211.

A listing of pneumonia and flu shot providers was updated by the state Health Department yesterday at www.vaxhawaii.com.

For those qualified to receive care at military facilities, The Tripler Flu Shot Hotline number is 433-3357.

Reach Karen Blakeman at kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.