Flu clinics to include COVID-19 vaccines
Doctors and nurses experts at minimizing fear in young children
Entire families will be able to get mom, dad and the kids vaccinated against the flu in one fell swoop without having to leave their cars at flu shot clinics in Niagara Falls.
But on top of that, people who still need their first or second shot of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine can get those shots at the same time they get their flu shot.
Niagara Falls Community Health Centre, Portage Medical Family Health Team and Niagara Medical Group Family Health Team have again teamed up to host six free drivethru community clinics at Club Italia.
There will be clinics Tuesday, Nov. 2, and Tuesday, Nov. 9, as well as Thursday, Nov. 4, and Thursday, Nov. 11, all running 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be Saturday clinics on Nov. 6 and 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“People can get their flu shot and their COVID-19 shot simultaneously,” said Carolyn Dyer, director of primary care and community health at Niagara Falls Community Health Centre.
“How convenient is that?” The COVID vaccines are available to people aged 12 and older. Identification will be required.
While a health card is encouraged, no identification is required for flu shots.
Physicians and nurses giving shots at the clinics will have special expertise in administering needles gently to toddlers and infants, said Dyer.
“(They’re) pros at this work; they are highly skilled at administering immunizations, minimizing any potential fears the person will have,” Dyer added.
The same agencies teamed up for the city’s first drive-thru flu shot clinics last fall in the Gale Centre parking lot.
“We had a lot of infants, babies and toddlers last year, which is great because it’s convenient for families,” said Dyer. “It’s so quick and our injectors are highly experienced with newborns and children.
“They’re in really good hands,” she said. “It makes such a difference when you have an experienced injector.”
Dyer said it’s important to get flu shots this year because, compared to last year at this time when the province was largely in lockdown, Ontario is much more open this fall with people mingling more, more adults in workplaces, and kids in school and in daycares, for those with a vaccine passport working out in gyms and eating inside restaurants.
That makes the potential to spread the influenza virus greater this year, said Dyer.
“As restrictions are eased we’re all at increased risk of exposure,” she said.
People should make sure to wear a mask and a loose-fitting T-shirt or tank top.
Club Italia is at 2525 Montrose Rd., but drivers should enter off Kalar Road.
The Region said people can also book flu shots through their family doctor. People without a doctor can also get one at walk-in clinics or participating pharmacies, for people aged two and over.
The Region said it’s more important than ever to get a flu shot this year, with the Delta variant of COVID-19 still posing a very real risk for having hospitals overrun.
The shot will help protect people from influenza and keep them out of the hospital, the Region said.