DANA?HAUGHT?of Powhatan Point gets a flu shot from Wheeling Hospital’s Dr. Brad Schmitt. Photo by SHELLEY HANSON

    THERE’S PLENTY of flu vaccine to go around this season, and people should take advantage of it, a local doctor said.

    In fact, 132 million doses have been produced for the United States, but new data show only a fraction of people who need flu shots the most get them. With doses available for anyone who wants one, everyone should get a vaccine, said Dr. William Mercer, health officer for the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department.

    ‘‘The less people that get sick, the better it is for your community,’’ Mercer said. ‘‘Influenza is a killer.’’

    According to the Associated Press, 36,000 people die from the flu each year and 200,000 are hospitalized. Each season, about 20 percent of the population is affected.

    Mercer noted some people are a little afraid of the vaccine, but he noted it is a dead virus, which means one cannot ‘‘catch the flu’’ from a flu vaccine shot.