Brittany Weitzel, Emergency Response Coordinator
September 18, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DARKE COUNTY GENERAL HEALTH DISTRICT TO HOLD DRIVE-THRU CLINIC
GREENVILLE- With the flu season approaching, the Darke County General Health District will be holding a drive-thru flu shot clinic on September 29th, 2020, for Darke County residents who are 18 years and older. The clinic will be held at the Darke County General Health District located at 300 Garst Avenue Greenville from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. or while supplies last.
Influenza, also known as the flu, is an illness that can cause a high fever, a bad headache, body aches, a dry cough, a sore throat, a runny nose and makes you feel very tired. It is usually spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing and can be spread before you know you are sick. Influenza is different from the common cold and the “stomach flu.” It usually begins suddenly and can make you feel so tired that you have trouble getting out of bed. Most people who get influenza will recover in one to two weeks, but some people can get very sick with complications such as pneumonia, have to stay in the hospital, or may even die.
While everyone should get a flu vaccine each flu season, the CDC notes it’s especially important that the following groups get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu-related complications:
- Pregnant women
- Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
- People 65 years of age and older
- People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
- Household contacts and caregivers of children younger than 5 years of age with particular emphasis on vaccinating contacts of children younger than 6 months of age (children younger than 6 months are at highest risk of flu-related complications but are too young to get vaccinated)
- Health care workers
- Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
The flu vaccine being offered is a quadrivalent (4 strains of influenza), preservative-free vaccine. The Darke County General Health Department does not have the high-dose or nasal-mist vaccine. Those who have medical coverage should bring a copy of their insurance card. Copies of the card will be made onsite and the health department will bill the insurance company. Any reimbursement rates the health department receives from the insurance company to cover the vaccine cost will be accepted. This means individuals who cannot afford to pay will not receive a bill from this clinic.
For those who are unable to attend the drive-thru clinic, the Darke County General Health District offers flu vaccines along with numerous others vaccines at our immunization clinic held on Tuesdays by appointment. To schedule an appointment, call 937-548-4196 Ext: 224.
