The flu season is a nightmare. You're sitting there happily enjoying the cooler weather and the concept of a white Christmas and BLAMO! you're hit with sweaty grossness and insufferable soreness. You could have avoided it! FOR FREE!
Don't be silly, get a shot and reduce your risk of getting the flu. Sure, it's not 100%, I know that but who wants to run the risk of feeling gross for two weeks when you could at least give your body a fighting chance!
If you've ever actually had the flu (I'm not talking a bad cold, I'm talking the “I can't get out of bed” kind of thing) you'll know that it's much worse than you'd expect.
Trust me (and not to mention the co-benefits due to COVID).
Where to get a flu shot in America
The Vaccines.gov Health Map is a fantastic resource to find out where you can go get a flu shot and did you know that it can be FREE if you have health insurance? Check your insurance provider to see what they can get you and then use the list below!
If you can't find what you're looking for on there, then you can also get your flu shot at:
- Your primary care doctor;
If you’re enrolled in a health insurance plan through a state-run marketplace or almost any private plan, your provider will cover the cost of the flu shot entirely, even if you go to your doctor for the shot. That’s right, no copayment or coinsurance for your appointment, just protection from the flu—whether you’ve hit your yearly deductible yet or not. - Urgent-care centers;
If you can’t make it to your normal doctor, at a pinch you can try an urgent-care center (but check first and find a free one); - Your job;
Lots of employers nowadays help out with free shots for the office, take it if you can! - Your college;
If you’re studying, it’s especially easy and VERY important. If you’re sick you can’t study and if you don’t get the shot you become a vector to lots of others becoming sick. Don’t be a vector. - Walgreens (and Duane Reade);
Both give away lots of free shots for those on insurance! - Target and CVS;
Same as the above; - Supermarkets;
You might even get lucky here sometimes! - Rite Aid;
Big pharmacy chains can help you out. - Walmart
The ones that offer pharmacy services can generally help you out.
No matter how you do it, just get your butt over there and get jabbed. It's for the good of everyone, not just you!
Things to know about the flu and the flu season 2023
Right from NYC Health:
Every year, more than 2,000 New Yorkers die of seasonal influenza and pneumonia, which can develop as a complication of flu.
Vaccination is the best way to protect against the flu.
And Metro US agrees:
The flu vaccine first becomes available at the end of August, and the most active months for vaccinations are September and October, according to Zucker.
While anyone can still get a flu shot through the new year, city officials recommend that New Yorkers don’t wait. It takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to be effective, so if any flu activity does start in November, you want to have gotten your vaccine at least by October.
Why flu vaccines are dangerous
They're not. Stop it.
