Flu Shot Time
It's early October and time to arrange for a flu shot, or a flu 'snort'. That's right, this year more places are providing a nasal-spray flu vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
lots of information about
influenza (flu). Because I've got two chronic diseases, diabetes and asthma, taking a flu shot is an easy way to reduce my risk of getting the flu. I actually got my shot yesterday at a local pharmacy, I like to get one as early in the
flu season as I can. But if you've got school age children you need to think about getting vaccinatios for yourself and the
CDC now recommends vaccinations for all children under 19.
For some of us, our employers may be organizing flu vaccinations at work. For the rest of us, you can trek to your doctors office or try one of your local pharmacies. Most pharmacy chains have a store finder page that includes a check box that allows you to search for stores that are offering flu shots or vaccinations, this includes
CVS,
Walgreens,
RiteAid and
Osco/Sav-on. In some cases you may have to make an appointment, call ahead and make sure.
So grab a book (so you don't mind waiting), head for the closest place, and take a small step to improve your changes for a healthier winter.
Labels: flu, health, prevention
Time to start thinking about....Flu Shots
Gasp, hard to believe that another year has passed by. Didn't you just get the last flu shot a few months ago?
If you have diabetes, you should have a flu shot
every year. And with the shortage of flu vaccines that we've had in recent years you can't start thinking about this too early.
The good news is that many pharmacy chains offer flu shots at their stores. I've used this approach for the last 2 years to get a flu shot close to work with only about a 20-minute wait. Right now I can get flu shots in my area in early October and I'll be there in line.
To find out when and where flu shots are available near you, go to the store locator page for your favorite pharmacy (
Brooks,
Rite Aid,
CVS, or
Walgreens) and select their option for Flu Clinics or Adult Immunizations. Then fill in your zip code and see what they have near you. You can also use the American Lung Association
Flu Clinic Locator.
Once you've found a clinic location date and time that suits you, make sure to mark the details in your calendar. Nothing worse than driving there and finding you just missed it.
My other advice is get there slightly early in case they run out of vaccine. Bring your health insurance card
and cash. You may be able to give the insurance information and not have to pay anything, or you may need to pay a co-pay. Since the flu clinic is generally not affiliated with the store they generally only take cash.
Best of luck keeping the flu at bay this year!
Labels: diabetes, flu, health, vaccine
