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FREE Drive-thru Flu Shot Clinic Monday
Solano County Public Health is offering a FREE drive-thru flu shot clinic:
Monday, November 2
Noon - 3 p.m.
Parking lot of Benicia Community Park
Take Rose Drive to Dempsey Drive to the farthest parking lot. You may remain in your car to receive the quick and easy shot.
Flu shots are especially important this year. This week, the Solano County Department of Health and Social Services, Public Health division, confirmed that a Solano County resident under the age of 65 tested positive for the first case of flu and COVID-19 co-infection.
“With the likelihood of both COVID-19 and seasonal flu activity this winter, contracting either disease may weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to the other disease,” said Bela T. Matyas, M.D., M.P.H., Solano County Health Officer. “Getting a flu vaccine this year is more important than ever, and flu vaccines are the best way to protect yourself, your family, and the community from becoming seriously ill with the flu. Vaccination not only reduces the risk of catching the flu, it also reduces the chance that you’ll be hospitalized. In other words, the flu vaccine will provide some protection and reduce your chances of needing to be hospitalized if you do get sick.”
The start of the flu season is always unpredictable, and the flu vaccine, once administered, takes two weeks to become fully effective, therefore Solano County Public Health urges everyone six months and older to get a flu vaccine as soon as possible, and to get one every year, as the flu virus changes over time. Timely flu vaccinations help prevent a disease that hospitalizes hundreds of thousands and kills tens of thousands of Americans every year.
“Symptoms of the flu can be like early symptoms of COVID-19, meaning people with flu symptoms may require a COVID-19 test and need to stay home from work and isolate while awaiting their results,” said Matyas. “It is also important to note that flu is not COVID-19, which is caused by a different virus, and that the flu is not the same as the common cold, which is also caused by different viruses.”
Help stop the spread of germs by practicing good hand washing and health habits:
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Cover your cough and sneezes
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
- Stay home when you are sick and keep your children home when they are sick
- Wear a face covering and maintain at least a six-foot distance from others in public settings
Certain groups may experience complications from the flu and should contact their healthcare provider immediately. These groups include pregnant women, children younger than five years old, adults 65 and older, and people with chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease, asthma, and diabetes. Doctors can prescribe antiviral medications that reduce the severity and duration of illness. Anyone who is very sick should seek medical attention immediately.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
- For more information about influenza, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at https://www.cdc.gov/FLU.
- For a list of Solano County community clinics providing low-cost and no-cost flu vaccinations, visit www.SolanoCounty.com/FLU.
- Flu vaccines are available at doctor’s offices and pharmacies throughout Solano County. To find a flu vaccine at a location near you, visit https://VaccineFinder.org.
- To find the status of activities in the County, visit https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/.
- For more information about COVID-19 in Solano County, visit www.SolanoCounty.com/COVID19 or call the Coronavirus Warmline at 707.784.8988, email COVID19@SolanoCounty.com and on Public Health’s Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/SolanoCountyPH (@SolanoCountyPH).
