BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Health experts across the country are already beginning to fear the 2021 flu season could be one of the worst in recent memory, so Wegmans locations across Western New York are providing opportunities for more people to get the shot.
The clinics will run throughout the entire month of October:
- Losson Road: 10/2 from 10:00 A.M.-2:00P.M.
- Amherst Street: 10/3 from 10:00 A.M.-1:00P.M.
- Jamestown: 10/9 from 10:00 A.M.-2:00P.M.
- Dick Road: 10/9 from 10:00 A.M.-2:00P.M., 10/24 from 10:00 A.M.-1:00P.M.
- Military Road: 10/10 from 10:00 A.M.-1:00P.M.
- Niagara Falls Boulevard: 10/16 from 10:00 A.M.-2:00P.M.
The Erie County Department of Health strongly recommends a flu vaccine for everyone ages six months and older this fall. Caregivers, those who spend time with people at high risk for flu complications, and people who interact with the general public need to make flu vaccination a priority.
The County Department of Health also says the following groups are at risk for flu complications and hospitalization, and are strongly recommended to get the shot this year:
- Adults 65-and-older
- Children younger than 2 years old
- People with chronic medical conditions like:
- Asthma
- Neurologic and neurodevelopment conditions
- Blood disorders (such as sickle cell disease)
- Chronic lung disease (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and cystic fibrosis)
- Endocrine disorders (such as diabetes mellitus)
- Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease)
- Kidney diseases
- Liver disorders
- Metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders and mitochondrial disorders)
- People who are obese with a body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher
- People with a weakened immune system due to disease (such as people with HIV or AIDS, or some cancers such as leukemia) or medications (such as those receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer, or persons with chronic conditions requiring chronic corticosteroids or other drugs that suppress the immune system)
- People who have had a stroke
- Females who are pregnant and up to 2 weeks after the end of pregnancy
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
The CDC recommends all Americans get the flu shot before the end of October, but any flu vaccine received through the end of the 2021-2022 flu season will have a protective benefit. They also say the best protection comes before the flu season starts in early winter, and it takes up to two weeks to develop antibodies. Children who need two doses of flu vaccine should start the process sooner; two doses must be spaced four weeks apart.
