Where to get a flu shot
Weber-Morgan Health Department, 433 23rd St., Ogden, beginning Thursday:
• Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Friday 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Call 801-399-8814 or go to webermorganhealth.org to receive updates on availability.
Where to get a flu shot
Davis County Health Department, beginning Thursday:
• Bountiful/Woods Cross Clinic, 596 W. 750 South, Tuesday and Thursday,
8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Clearfield Clinic, 22 S. State St., 1st floor, Monday through Friday,
8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
No appointment is necessary. The health departments will give injectable, nasal mist and high dose for those 65 and older. The cost is $25 for flu shot and $40 for high dose and is covered by most Medicare plans. Bring your health insurance card for all other plans.
You can also check with your local pharmacy and physician’s
office to check on availability of the vaccine.
OGDEN -- Baking heat might not seem like prime flu-shot weather, but health officials say vaccination needs to be at the top of your to-do list.
With an increase in world travel, influenza is no longer a seasonal illness, which means you can catch it pretty much any time.
"The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) is saying you should get the vaccine as soon as it's available," said Gwen Hadley, Weber-Morgan Health Department assistant nursing director. "Influenza is circulating all the time. It's no longer a traditional late fall, early winter illness."
This year's vaccine is the same as last year's, Hadley said. It will include H1N1, two influenza A viruses and one influenza B virus. Even if you were vaccinated last year, you still need to be vaccinated this year, she said, because immunity declines over time and may be too low to provide protection after a year.
"No one is sure why the expected flu this year is the same as last year," Hadley said. "There are so many variables with viruses and how they mutate. Generally we see a subtle change, but this year there was no shift at all."
Symptoms of the flu include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches and diarrhea and vomiting. Flu can cause serious complications, including bacterial pneumonia, dehydration and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma or diabetes.
Right now, the CDC is reporting low levels of flu activity. Although influenza is always circulating, an increase in the illness is typically seen from October to May and peaks around January. It takes about two weeks for the body to build an immunity after receiving the vaccine.
"We want everyone to get vaccinated," Hadley said.
"The side effects of influenza are so much greater than any side effects of the vaccine."
The health department is also going to be vaccinating at several elementary schools this year. She said although many pharmacies are also giving the vaccine, they do not provide them for children younger than 9.
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