SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - As flu cases continue to climb, many are turning to vaccine clinics to protect themselves.
Normally I get it every year but I just got too preoccupied with other things,” Stella Rupia said. But last week or the week before, I heard the commission of health talk about the new strain and made me look for where I can get my flu shot.”
The City of Somerville hosted a clinic at the Central Library on Tuesday, offering free flu and COVID-19 shots. It comes as the state is reporting several children and more than a dozen adults have died from the virus this flu season.
“That’s scary because I don’t want to be in the statistics,” Rupia said.
With some of the news coming out about where we are with the flu case counts, we have seen people coming today, specifically saying they heard it was a bad year,” Celeste Gearhart said, Somerville’s Director of Public Health Nursing. “They forgot to get it earlier in the season and they’re here to get it today.”
Health experts say this year’s flu shot may be less effective against the current strain, but they’re still encouraging people to get the shot.
“Vaccination might not keep you completely free from the flu this year, but if you were to get it, your illness would more likely be less severe, and that’s really something we want to avoid. The hospitals are seeing a lot of people with severe illness,” Gearhart said.
“The current vaccination still gives you a significant amount of resistance, so I want to protect myself,” Rupia said.
You can find more information regarding upcoming flu clinics in Boston here.
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