Chattooga Health Department now offering flu vaccine

The Chattooga County Health Department, 60 Farrar Drive, Summerville, is now offering flu vaccine on a walk-in basis Monday-Wednesday 8 AM to 4:30 PM, Thursday 8 AM to 6 PM, and Friday 8 AM-1:30 PM.

“The best way to protect against flu and its potentially serious complications is with a flu vaccine,” says Chattooga County Health Department Nurse Manager Judy Wesson. “The CDC recommends it for everyone six months and older, and you should get it now or certainly before October ends.”

“This year’s regular flu vaccine is trivalent, which means it protects against three influenza strains,” Wesson says. “The high-dose vaccine is also trivalent and contains four times more antigen than the regular dose,” noting that the stronger vaccine is recommended for those 65 and older.

The vaccine is available at no cost through most health coverage plans. Acceptable payment methods include cash, credit-or-debit card, Medicare, Medicaid, Aetna, Ambetter, BlueCross BlueShield/Anthem, Cigna (not Medicare), and United Health Care SHBP. If paying out of pocket, the price is still relatively low at $35 for a regular flu vaccine and $55 for a high-dose flu vaccine for people 65 and older.

Chattooga County Health Department hours are Monday – Wednesday 8 am to 5 pm, Thursday 8 am to 6:30 pm, and Friday 8 am to 2 pm.

Contact the Chattooga County Health Department, 60 Farrar Drive, Summerville, at 706-857-3471; the Environment Health office at 706-857-3377, or visit www.nwgapublichealth.org/counties/chattooga.  Follow us on Facebook to receive news, emergency messages, and health information at https://www.facebook.com/ChattoogaDPH