Influenza vaccine takes on added importance during COVID-19 pandemic
Getting a flu shot is even more important this year, advised the director of the North Georgia Health District during a meeting of the Gilmer County Board of Health last week.
“I would encourage everyone to get an influenza vaccination this year for several reasons,” said Dr. Zachary Taylor.
“We encourage people to get vaccinations every year so we can reduce the morbidity from influenza. This year, it’s even more important because we’re concerned about the effect that it would (have) for people to have influenza and COVID-19 at the same time. It could really turn into a much more severe illness for people who typically wouldn’t have a severe illness from either of those.”
To get a jump on flu season and offer the shots in a convenient curbside setting, the Gilmer Health Department will hold its annual drive-thru flu shot clinic Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., at the ETC Pavilion on Legion Road.
The riverside pavilion, which is a new location for the flu shot clinic, has been used most recently as the county’s drive-thru COVID-19 testing site.
“It’s especially important this year that you’re able to remain separately and safely in your vehicle while driving through to get your flu shot,” noted Jennifer King, the health district’s public information officer.
“The drive-thru clinics conducted by county public health departments in north Georgia will allow people to stay safely in their vehicles and separated from others, while health department staff wear COVID-19 protective gear as they provide flu vaccinations. Clients driving through will also be required to wear a mask or cloth face covering,” she noted.
The Ellijay clinic will be among six drive-thru flu shot events scheduled for the North Georgia Health District, which also includes Pickens, Cherokee, Fannin, Whitfield and Murray counties.
“It’s going to be confusing if we have a lot of influenza cases, differentiating them from COVID-19. We’re hopeful that, if people continue to wear a mask while they’re out in public, reduce large gatherings and also get the influenza vaccine, that we (will) have a very light influenza season this year,” noted Taylor.
“It’s difficult to predict how many people will get a flu shot this year, but we are urgently emphasizing the need to the public to protect themselves against the flu and reduce the risk of becoming ill with both influenza and COVID-19,” added King. “Moreover, if we were to have a severe flu season this year on top of the coronavirus pandemic, our healthcare infrastructure could become critically overburdened.”
Both the regular quadrivalent and high-dose flu vaccines will be available at the drive-thru clinic. The high-dose vaccine is generally for people age 65 or older and both vaccines guard against four different strains of flu, noted King.
Out of pocket, the regular shot will cost $25 and the high dose $65, although several health insurance plans will be accepted. Payment can be made with cash or check, as well as such insurance plans as Medicare, Medicaid, Aetna Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana and United Healthcare, according to the health district.
At the recent board of health meeting, Krystal Sumner, Gilmer Health Department nurse manager, said the local health department will also conduct several offsite flu shot clinics this year.
“We have scheduled 19 offsite clinics so far. We’re partnering with the school system to do our first school-based flu initiative. It’s going to be held at Mountain View Elementary. We’re going to be giving flu shots to children there,” she added.
Curbside flu shots will also be offered at the health department, located at 28 Southside Church Street.
“Our worry was that people might avoid getting the flu shot because they worry about coming into the clinic. (We will have) huge signs put on the fence in front of the health department. People can drive up, call inside and we will come out and give them their flu shot,” Sumner said.
Since 2008, the health district’s drive-thru flu shot clinics have served as practice PODs (points of dispensing) for the event of a widespread health crisis. This year is no exception, King confirmed.
Because there is an actual pandemic still unfolding, this year’s flu shot clinics will serve as preparation for dispensing a vaccine for COVID-19.
“The emergency prep aspect of the drive-thru flu shot clinics is exactly how we’ve been preparing for an event such as COVID-19,” King said. “Currently, this is the method we intend to use to distribute COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. For many years, our health district and county health departments have collaborated with national, state and local partners to develop an effective response plan for a pandemic and to exercise that plan.”
King said when the coronavirus vaccine becomes available to the public, it will actually be the second time that response plan has been used during an actual public health emergency.
“In 2009, we used the drive-thru method to administer H1N1 vaccinations to several thousand residents throughout our health district,” she noted.
More details about 2020 drive-thru flu shot clinics scheduled in the North Georgia Health District can be found online at NGHD.org.