Merced County health officials schedule flu shot clinics

With flu season approaching, officials at the Merced County Department of Public Health have scheduled free vaccine clinics at multiple locations.

On Oct. 2, multiple flu clinics will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Merced County Fairground, 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way; Los Banos Community Center gym, 645 Seventh St.; and Atwater Community Center, 760 E. Bellevue Road.

The clinics not only will prepare residents for the upcoming flu season but also test the county’s readiness to provide mass vaccination during a health-related emergency, officials said.

While the vaccine lasts, flu shots will also be offered weekly at the Public Health Department, 260 E. 15th St. in Merced, starting Oct. 6.

According to health officials, everyone 6 months of age or older should be vaccinated against the flu annually, especially those with chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease. Pregnant women and the elderly are also at high risk.

“Getting an annual flu shot is the best way to prevent flu from spreading,” said Merced County health officer Tim Livermore. “Also, protect yourself and others by covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands frequently with soap and water or hand sanitizer, and staying home and away from others when sick.”

Connie Diers, a registered nurse and director of nursing at Golden Valley Health Centers, said flu season can start as early as October and continue through the end of May, with the season peaking in January and February.

Diers explained that typically, only one-third of adults ages 20 to 49 get a flu shot, but there is more compliance in children and senior citizens.

“Every year there are deaths from influenza that can be prevented with vaccine,” Diers said.

Golden Valley Health Centers order about 15,000 doses of flu vaccine, which covers staff and patients. Usually, the centers do not run out, she said.

Diers reminds residents that children 6 months to 8 years old need two injections when they are getting the flu shot for the first time. The shots are administered four weeks apart, so it is important that families plan accordingly, she said.

Because there are no flu vaccines for children under 6 months old, Diers recommends that those caring for a newborn be especially cautious and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

For more information on the Public Health Department’s flu clinic schedule, visit www.co.merced.ca.us/flu. or call the county’s Flu Info Line at (209) 381-1180.

This story was originally published September 23, 2014 at 7:36 PM.