Before the cheer of the holidays, comes flu season.
Remember what happened last year?
The 2018-19 flu season was the longest-lasting that we’ve had in 10 years. According to the CDC, it lasted 21 weeks there were 61,200 flu-related deaths last year.
The numbers are between 12 and 56,000 flu-related deaths annually, meaning the last two flu seasons have been worse than average. There were 79,400 flu-related deaths in the 2017-18 season.
It’s highly recommended that Americans get their flu shots by the end of October as it takes 2 weeks to set in to protect you for the rest of the season, which can last until May of next year. It’s not too late if you haven’t gotten yours.
Here’s Where to Get Your Free Flu Shots
1. Your Primary Care Doctor
If you have health insurance, your provider is most likely to offer a free flu shot without co-payment.
2. Your School
If you’re a college student, check with your campus health center about getting a free flu shot. They usually have it on hand.
College students generally get vaccinated less than the average person. “Only between 8 and 39% of college students get vaccinated,” says Lisa Ipp, an adolescent medicine specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Since campuses are high-risk areas of spreading the flu virus, it’s vital that more students get vaccinated.
3. Your Work
Many offices will provide free flu shots on-site for a day or a voucher to get one at your local pharmacy. If this isn’t offered, it might be worth your time to shoot an email to your HR or boss asking if they can offer it this year.
It’s a good way to prevent half the workplace from being sick at home!
4. Urgent Care
If you’re near an Urgent Care facility, stop by (or call) and see if they’ll give you a shot. Most will have them on hand and will be at no cost if you have insurance.
5. Rite-Aid, Walmart and Walgreens
A majority of neighborhood pharmacies will offer flu shots at no cost if you have health insurance. Check your local pharmacy if you don’t have these 3 options near you.
And if there are no free options, your local Costco offers it for $20.
6. Target
If you have a Target with a CVS Pharmacy inside, you can get a free flu shot and a $5 store coupon.
For more providers, you can visit VaccineFinder.org
