COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – By now, you have been told by health officials and government leaders to get a flu vaccine for the 2020-2021 flu season.
While flu vaccines will not prevent COVID-19, they will reduce the burden of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on the health care system and conserve scarce medical resources for the care of people with coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control has worked with vaccine manufacturers to have extra flu vaccine available.
Manufacturers have already begun distributing flu vaccine but Kali Nichols, who is the Director of Personal Health and Disease Prevention at the Community Health Agency says getting vaccinated in August is too early, especially for older people, because of the likelihood of reduced protection against the flu later in the season.
Nichols says, “September and October are good times to get vaccinated. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating, vaccination should continue, even in January or later.”
The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency offers free vaccinations to qualifying families with children age 18 or younger through the Vaccines for Children program.
This program is for children who are not insured or whose insurance does not cover immunizations.
To get your flu shot from the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, call your local office and schedule an appointment.
For additional information on the flu along with COVID-19 updates, log onto www.bhsj.org or follow the C.H.A. on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BHSJCHA.
