Fall must be on its way: Kids are back in school, football’s back on TV – and the flu vaccine is arriving.
The first shipments rolled into the Visiting Nurse Association offices Thursday, right on time.
From October, when it holds its first clinic, to December, the association expects to give 100,000 shots, said Gayle Davis, marketing vice president for the nonprofit health care organization.
About 42,000 doses are already committed to specific clinics and workplaces, Davis said.
The VNA’s first flu-shot clinic will be Oct. 3. Until the supply runs out, probably in December, the VNA will offer shots at its offices, 390 Grant St.
The clinic schedule will be: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2 to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays, 7 to 11 a.m.; and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $25 for a shot and $30 for inhaled flu mist.
The nurse association will also host a “drive-through” flu-shot clinic Oct. 7.
Officials at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that they expect no delays, shortages or other complications that have plagued the nation’s vaccine efforts in recent flu seasons.
Pneumonia vaccines will also be offered, for $40 each.
Public-health officials recommend flu vaccines for everyone over 6 months old, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions.
The CDC estimates that about 36,000 people die from flu every year – many of them elderly, people with compromised immune systems and very young children.
More information on scheduled flu-shot clinics and general flu information is available at immunizecolorado.com.
