She estimates that it took her at least 50 tries over more than eight hours before finally getting through about 5:45 p.m.

Bueter and her husband, Jerry, were anxious to get a shot from the Hamilton County General Health District because both are considered at high risk of suffering serious consequences from the virus.

Both are 64. Both have diabetes. And Jerry is on a waiting list for a heart transplant.

As they waited in line Saturday for their flu shots, only one word could describe getting one of the 2,000 coveted appointments.

"Luck," Jerry Bueter said. "If we didn't get these shots, then we're taking a chance.

"I've never been sick in my life except for this stupid heart attack, and I probably feel like I could get through the flu season OK," he said. "But you never know."

Many people at Holy Trinity School in Norwood were feeling lucky Saturday.

After announcing the clinic, health officials took reservations by phone Tuesday and Wednesday. All 2,000 slots were filled by 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Saturday's event comes as people nationwide rush to receive a fast-dwindling supply of flu shots.

Much of this year's expected supply of flu vaccine was cut off after the British government, citing bacterial contamination, shut down a vaccine plant in Liverpool. The plant is owned by Chiron, an American company that supplies the United States with nearly half of its flu vaccinations.

In other cities, the race for flu shots has been even more intense. Thousands have been turned away from some vaccination clinics. Allegations of price-gouging have run rampant.

In the San Francisco area, a 79-year-old woman died from head injuries suffered Thursday after she collapsed while waiting in a flu shot line for four hours.

Meanwhile, some states are threatening doctors and nurses with fines or even jail time if they give flu shots to healthy, low-risk people.

"No one expected this," said Hamilton County Health Commissioner Tim Ingram.

Last flu season, the health district ordered 4,100 doses and administered more than 3,000. This year, the district ordered 3,800 but got only 2,000.

Nearly three-quarters of the shots Saturday went to senior citizens, health officials said. The remainder were children under 35 months old and people with chronic illnesses such as asthma, heart disease or diabetes.

Nationwide, about 36,000 people die annually - 3,000 in Ohio - from complications from the flu, such as pneumonia.

Saturday's clinic was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. The first person walked through the door at 7:30 a.m.

"We're from Delhi, and we ran all over the place to get this," said Barbara Biehle, who drove to Norwood Saturday with her 93-year-old mother, Edna M. Davis.

"Kroger, Walgreens, our doctor - this is the only place we could find it," Davis said. "This is just ridiculous."

For those unable to get flu shots, health officials offer several tips to avoid getting sick: wash your hands often; rest and eat well; sneeze or cough either into tissue or into the crook of your elbow, never directly into your hands; and if you do get sick, don't go to work or school.

Compared with flu vaccine clinics in other regions of the country, Hamilton County's Saturday clinic was quick and painless. The average wait was about 12 minutes.

Ingram said this emergency vaccination clinic also worked as real-life practice for mass vaccinations that would be needed during a major infectious disease outbreak or a bioterrorism event.

"Then we would have to do something similar to what's happening today," Ingram said. "The efficiency we've handled today shows us we can manage a large vaccination event."

For Ginny Davis and her 16-month-old son, Gray, three hours on hold on the telephone was a small price to pay.

"We have a nanny for him because he got the flu in day care last year," Davis said. "If we couldn't have gotten in here, I guess we just would have taken the risk."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. E-mail rforgrave@enquirer.com