Seasonal influenza vaccine is now available at the Warren County Health Department. Flu vaccine will be offered Oct. 8 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Oct. 15 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – with no appointment necessary. These two days are walk-in clinics.
If you cannot attend those days, the Health Department is scheduling late clinics by appointment only Oct. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. and Oct. 24 from 5 to 7 p.m. Please call the Warren County Health Department at 473-8468 to make an appointment to get your flu vaccine. Flu shots (and/ or FluMist nasal spray vaccine) will be provided during the vaccination clinic.
The cost of the flu shot (and/ or FluMist) is $30 for each vaccine; the cost will be charged on a sliding fee scale based on patient income.
“It takes about two weeks to be protected after you get the flu vaccine, so it’s a good idea to get the vaccine as soon as it’s available,” said Health Department director Andrea Fox. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone six months of age and older get their yearly flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available in their community. However, we will continue to vaccinate residents as long as we have supplies of vaccine.”
Seasonal flu is a preventable, contagious illness that can be serious and even deadly. Each year, the nation experiences an epidemic of flu during the fall or winter; the size and severity of these epidemics are unpredictable. Even during mild flu seasons, local outbreaks can affect large numbers of people in a community. Nationally, thousands of people die from influenza each year, most of them over age 65; however, the flu can cause serious illness for pregnant women and other people of any age.
The Warren County Health Department urges vaccination as the best way to protect yourself and your family from the flu. The seasonal flu vaccines available this year include protection against H1N1 flu in addition to other strains of seasonal flu expected to circulate this year. Flu vaccine will be plentiful and is already available from many providers, including private physicians and pharmacies.
Payment can be made in the form of cash, check or credit card, and Medicare and TennCare can be billed. Private insurance will not be billed; however, those with private insurance that covers flu vaccination will be given a receipt to file their own claims with their insurance providers.
To make an appointment or to ask questions about flu vaccine, call the Warren County Health Department at 473-8468.