Additional Walk-In Flu and COVID Vaccination Clinic scheduled for November 15 at Community and Home Care-Allamakee Public Health
Additional walk-in vaccination clinic at VMH ... An additional walk-in clinic for the flu and COVID vaccines will be offered November 15 at Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee Public Health. Anyone is welcome to walk-in without an appointment to receive either or both of these vaccines. This clinic will be held from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the main entrance of the hospital. Pictured are members of the Allamakee Public Health/Home Care staff who will be administering the vaccines. Submitted photo.
An additional walk-in clinic for the flu and COVID vaccines will be offered Wednesday, November 15 at Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee Public Health. Anyone is welcome to walk-in without an appointment to receive either or both of these vaccines. This clinic will be held from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the main entrance of the hospital.
Flu shots are recommended for all those who have not yet received the vaccine and will be effective throughout the rest of the flu season. According to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, flu vaccines are proven to help prevent millions of illnesses and have been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor by 40-60%. COVID-19 vaccines help protect by creating an antibody response without having to experience potentially severe illness or post-COVID conditions. Although it is still possible to get sick after being vaccinated, flu and COVID immunizations are proven to help prevent severe illness, which can be lifesaving.
Allamakee Public Health is offering Comirnaty (Pfizer) COVID vaccine. Anyone can receive Pfizer vaccine, even if Moderna vaccine was given in the past. According to the CDC, it is safe and effective to receive multiple immunizations, such as the flu and COVID-19 vaccines, during the same vaccination appointment.
Medicare, Medicaid and most insurances cover the cost of the flu and COVID vaccine. Billing for vaccinations will be completed by the Community and Home Care staff, but participants will need to bring their Medicare number or private insurance card with them. If insurance does not cover these immunizations, they can be purchased instead. For those uninsured or underinsured (age 19+) there is a program called Bridges to Access which provides COVID-19 vaccine and may charge an administration fee. The site must waive this fee if the person is unable to pay the requested administration fee.
Beginning with the 2023-2024 season, all updated flu vaccines have been proven safe and effective for people with any form of an egg allergy. Former safety measures are no longer recommended for flu vaccination of people with an egg allergy. However, all flu vaccines should continue to be given in settings where allergic reactions can be recognized and treated quickly. The flu vaccines have also been updated to include the strains that are most likely to circulate during this year’s flu season.
For more information about this walk-in vaccination clinic, or to make an appointment to receive the vaccine(s) on a following Wednesday afternoon, call the Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care Department at 563-568-5660.
