Free flu shots are still available at health unit clinics for the next week and a half.
“It’s not too late to be immunized against influenza,” says Mary Ann Holmes, the manager of the vaccine preventable disease program. “Flu season has really just begun, and we know that the flu shot is a safe and effective way to keep the whole family healthy.”
It’s also easier than ever to get a flu shot, with an online appointment booking system available on the health unit’s website.
Flu shots are also available through health care providers and more than 120 local pharmacies.
The health unit clinics are taking place Wednesday and Saturday this week and conclude next Wednesday.
Getting immunized isn’t just protection for the person who gets the shot. It prevents a person from spreading the virus to young children or people with weak immune systems–people who could end up in the
hospital with serious complications from the flu.
A recent study showed that the flu shot prevents about 300 deaths and 30,000 visits to hospital emergency departments in Ontario each year.
For more information about influenza and immunization clinics visit the health unit website at
www.simcoemuskokahealth.org, or call Health Connection at 705-721-7520, or 1-877-721-7520 weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..