With flu season approaching, Thompson Health will hold six vaccination clinics across the region beginning Sept. 15 as health officials urge residents to get protected before influenza activity typically begins climbing later in the fall.
The clinics will be held in Canandaigua, Farmington, Hopewell, Bloomfield and Newark through mid-October. Thompson Health officials say September and October are generally the best months to receive a flu shot because the body can take up to two weeks to develop its full immune response after vaccination.
Thompson’s clinics will provide flu vaccines to people ages 9 and older. A high-dose vaccine will also be available for people 65 and older. That version contains additional antigen designed to produce a stronger immune response in older adults.
Daniel Bentz, the clinical pharmacist who manages Thompson’s outpatient pharmacies in Canandaigua and Victor, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older.
“We want to pay particular attention to the very young and the very old,” Bentz said, noting that vaccination can also help reduce the risk of spreading influenza to people who are more vulnerable to complications.
“We take care of our older mothers and fathers and our children, and it’s our duty to keep them healthy,” he said. “Getting the flu shot is definitely one way to do that.”
Flu can become serious for high-risk patients
While many people who contract influenza recover after several days of illness, Thompson officials said the virus can lead to much more serious health problems for people in higher-risk groups.
Stacey Gibbs, Thompson’s director of Infection Prevention and a nurse with nearly 15 years of experience in multiple health care settings, said people with pre-existing medical conditions, older adults and young children face a greater chance of complications.
“If you have anything that puts you in a high-risk category – pre-existing conditions, very young, the elderly – you’re at higher risk of having complications such as pneumonia and other conditions that would make you have trouble breathing and cause you to need further, higher level of care,” Gibbs said.
That risk is part of the reason health officials emphasize vaccination not only as personal protection but also as a way of reducing transmission to family members and others who could become seriously ill.
Why September and October matter
Timing also plays an important role.
Bentz and Gibbs said residents should ideally receive their flu vaccine in September or October. Because immunity takes time to build, waiting until influenza is already spreading widely can leave people without full protection during the early part of flu season.
Peak flu activity can begin as early as December, and cases often start increasing around Thanksgiving and into the winter.
“Get that vaccine at the latest in October, so then it has the two weeks’ time to give your body that immunity and if we see the cases start to rise as we typically do, Thanksgiving and beyond, you will have the full protection before the season really gets underway,” Gibbs said.
Thompson Health’s first clinic is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Thompson Health Canandaigua Urgent Care, 699 S. Main St.
Additional clinics are scheduled from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Farmington Town Hall, 1000 County Road 8; from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, at Hopewell Fire Station No. 2, 4018 Routes 5 and 20; and from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Veterans Park, 6910 Routes 5 and 20 in Bloomfield.
Two more clinics will follow in October. Thompson Health Farmington Urgent Care, 1160 Corporate Drive, will host a clinic from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. The final scheduled clinic will run from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at Thompson Health Newark Urgent Care, 800 W. Miller St.
Flu shots at the clinics are free for patients with insurance, though an insurance card must be presented at the visit. For people paying out of pocket, the standard flu vaccine costs $45 and the high-dose vaccine costs $80.
Cash, checks, MasterCard and Visa will be accepted.
More information about the clinics is available by calling 585-924-1550.
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