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EL PASO COUNTY, COLO. -- The flu continues to plague the nation, having sickened hundreds of thousands from California to New Jersey.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this flu season began early and has been unusually vigorous.

To date, at least one flu death has been reported in El Paso County, with four total in Colorado.

The virus is spreading rapidly across the country, and health experts said it is hard to predict an end to the season.

"What is different about Colorado in general is we started off the season with Type B influenza," Dr. Bill Letson, Medical Director with the El Paso County Health Department, said.

Now Letson said type A influenza is making its way into Colorado, which means our flu season is going to linger.

"And it means there is still plenty of time to go out and get vaccinated," Letson said.

With more than 145 million doses of the vaccine in production, there are still some available despite recent concerns about shortages.

"I think because people ran out simply because they did not anticipate that this was going to be such an active year for influenza," Letson said. "But people who ran out have not had trouble reordering."

One treatment that is running low is Tamiflu in Children's form.

"You can open the capsules and make a liquid dose that can be taken with food," he said.

Penrose-St. Francis Health Services has partnered with Walgreens and others to provide free flu shots for members of the community.

The vaccinations are for adults and children over the age of four, and there are eligibility requirements.

If you would like one, stop by the Catholic Charities Marion House located on 14 W. Bijou St. on Wednesday, January 23 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.