The Galion City Health Department will be hosting the last walk-in flu clinic for the season on Election Day, November 7. The clinic will be held at the Galion City election polling location, Galion High School, located at 472 Portland Way North, from 7am – 7 pm.
Last flu season, there were 13 hospitalized cases of flu in Galion. During both the 2015 and 2016 flu seasons, there was only one documented case per season. People who contract the flu virus are contagious before they know they are getting sick, exposing many others to the virus unknowingly. “Flu activity is expected to increase over the coming weeks,” stated Galion City Health Commissioner Trish Factor. "You would do anything to protect your loved ones, don’t risk this one."
Who Should Get a Flu Shot?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine experts are again this year recommending that everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine each year.
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:
1.Pregnant women
2.Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
3.People 65 years of age and older
4.People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
5.People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
6.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
Most insurances are accepted, so bring your card! Children 18 years and younger with Medicaid, with NO insurance, or who are underinsured (per VCF guidelines) are eligible for flu vaccine through the VFC program at no cost.
For more information please visit our website: www.galionhealth.org or call us at 419-468-1075.