Chattooga County Health Department now offering flu vaccines

The Chattooga County Health Department, 60 Farrar Drive, Summerville, is now offering flu vaccines on a walk-in basis according to Chattooga County Health Department Nurse Manger Judy Wesson.

“We have a quadrivalent flu vaccine for anyone six months and older and a quadrivalent, high-dose flu vaccine for adults 65 and older,” says Wesson. The quadrivalent vaccines are designed to protect against four different flu viruses, including two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses, and the high-dose vaccine is designed to help older adults have a stronger immune system response, according to Wesson.

Walk-ins acceptedduring these hours:

Mon.-Wed. – 8 am to 4:15 pm

Thurs. – 8 am to 5:45 pm

Fri. – 8 am to 1 pm

“Getting a flu vaccine is the single best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against influenza,” Wesson emphasizes.

Acceptable payment methods include cash, credit-or-debit card, Medicare, Medicaid, Amerigroup, PeachState CareSource, Aetna, Ambetter, and most Cigna, BlueCross BlueShield, and United Health Care plans. Otherwise, the cost is $35 for those with insurance the health department doesn’t take ($55 for the high dose).  It is $20 for those with no insurance or underinsured.

Wesson also reminds that the health department will soon be offering protection against two other common respiratory illnesses. “Sometime in September, we’ll have a new Covid vaccine available at the health department which will help provide protection against the new EG.5 variant, now the dominant strain of the virus in the U.S. Later this fall, we’ll also be offering new R.S.V. (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccines for older adults and pregnant women, and, for infants, an antibody therapy, which is not a vaccine, to help protect against this common respiratory virus. We’ll make information about these available as soon as possible.”