Drive-Thru Flu Clinic To Be Offered at Stephens Co. Health Dept.

With the arrival of Fall last week, health officials are urging people to start making plans to get that flu shot.

This year, the Stephens County Health Department will offer its first drive-thru flu shot clinic on Wednesday, October 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Stephens County Health Department.

District Two Public Health Spokesman Dave Palmer said the drive-thru clinic will offer the convenience of getting a flu shot without leaving the vehicle, reducing the amount of time it takes to get the shot.

“We encourage everybody that would like to advantage of that, the convenience of driving through and getting your flu shot without leaving your car, to come on by,” said Palmer. “We are going to do it on the street, right in front of the health department.”

The Stephens County Health Department will also offer flu shots at its walk-in clinic, which will be every Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., also at the Health Department.

The cost for the flu shot is $25 and the Health Department accepts cash, credit, and debit cards, as well as Medicare, Medicaid, Peach Care, and some private insurance plans.

People are asked to have their insurance card with them when coming in for their flu shot at the Health Department.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone six months of age or older get the flu shot.

However, Palmer said it is especially important for certain people, who are at more risk from flu-related complications, to get immunized.

Those groups include pregnant women, people age 50 and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions and weakened immune systems, people who live in nursing homes and other long term care facilities, and people who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including health care workers, household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu, and household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age.

Besides the regular flu vaccine, the Health Department said the “high-dose” flu vaccine approved for people age 65 or older is also available.

Flu season usually lasts from October to May, so Palmer said now is the time to get the flu shot and get ready.

“We never know how serious the flu can be from year to year, so it is always a good idea to get the flu shot as early as you can because it takes about two weeks for immunity to build up,” said Palmer.

Besides getting the flu shot, the second step, according to officials, in protecting against the flu is preventing the spread of germs by washing hands often with soap and water, covering coughs and sneezes, and cleaning and disinfecting common surfaces in the home.

Health officials said that if someone experiences flu symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and/or fatigue, that person should see a healthcare provider.