CHRISTIANSBURG –The New River Health District (NRHD) will offer free seasonal flu vaccine at a special drive-thru dispensing clinic on Friday, Sept. 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Radford Fire and Rescue Station at 1500 Wadsworth St.
Vaccine will be available free on a first-come, first-served basis. Be sure to wear clothing that is loose around the arm so that a public health nurse can administer the flu shot in the upper arm without requiring anyone to leave the comfort and convenience of the car.
Influenza is a serious disease caused by the influenza virus that affects the respiratory tract. It is highly contagious and generally spreads from person-to-person when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
The virus can be transmitted even before flu-like symptoms appear. A person usually becomes sick one to three days following exposure to the virus. Typical flu symptoms include fever, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle aches and extreme fatigue.
“Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza and its potentially severe complications,” said Noelle Bissell, the health district director. “This unique ‘drive-thru’ approach is proven to be a fast and efficient way to vaccinate a large number of folks in a short time. Community immunity develops when more people get vaccinated. There is less virus present to potentially infect those who cannot be immunized such as infants under 6 months old. This helps protect everyone from this potentially deadly disease. It is particularly important to get a flu shot this year due to the pandemic since COVID-19 is circulating at the same time.
“The timing and duration of flu seasons vary,” Dr. Bissell said. “They can occur from early fall to late spring. Receiving an annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to reduce your risk of becoming sick with the flu and spreading the virus to others. When more people get vaccinated, less flu can spread through the community. It takes up to two weeks to develop the vaccine’s full protection.”
Vaccination is recommended for all persons aged 6 months and older. Particular effort should be made to vaccinate people at higher risk for influenza complications, including pregnant and postpartum women, or those who will be pregnant during the influenza season; persons over 65 years of age, including residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities; people who have chronic lung or heart problems, including asthma; and people who have other serious medical conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease, cystic fibrosis, anemia, cancer, weak immune systems (including those with HIV) or a seizure disorder.
To help prevent the spread of influenza to people in high risk groups, those who live with people in a high risk group and healthcare workers should also receive an annual influenza vaccine. Travelers to countries outside of the U.S. may also need to consider influenza vaccination, even at different times of the year.
Each year in the U.S. approximately 200,000 people are hospitalized due to flu illness, and flu-related deaths range from 12,000 to 56,000 each year, averaging 34,000 per year over the last three decades.
