Flu Vaccines Available Early This Season
Flu vaccines are being offered early this year.
It’s just hours into September, but already flu shots are available, three to four weeks earlier than they usually are.
The federal Centers for Disease Control has moved up the date for the flu vaccine, regular flu shots, not shots for swine flu, and several local stores are offering them, starting Tuesday.
You can get them at stores like Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid.
CVS and Walgreens are offering the shots for free to people who are unemployed and uninsured, Newsday reports. CVS will offer 100,000 free shots and Walgreens will offer free shots through its 7,000 U.S. stores in clinics.
You can find a local place for flu vaccines on the American Lung Association Web site.
Flu shots are recommended for:
- Children, aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
- Pregnant women
- People 50 years old and older
- People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
- Health care workers
- Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
- Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
Posted Tuesday, Sep 1, 2009 - 8:45 AM EST
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