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The flu claimed an estimated 80,000 lives in America during the 2017 – 2018 season, and Bucks County health officials are working to combat the virus by offering free flu vaccinations again this year.
The Bucks County Department of Health will offer free flu shots to residents in the lower, central, and upper parts of the county this weekend and again in mid-October.
On Saturday, September 29, the county will hold free flu shot clinics at Neshaminy Manor Center’s Health Building at 1282 Almshouse Road in Doylestown and the county offices at 261 California Road in Quakertown. Other clinics will be held on Friday, October 13 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, October 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Our Lady Of Fatima School at 2913 Street Road in Bensalem.
No appointments are needed and the clinics are free regardless of insurance coverage.
Using Australia’s underway flu season as a gage, experts cited by AARP noted this year’s flu season could be more mild in America compared to last. However, the flu shot remains important, especially for the elderly and children.
Last year’s flu-related death rate was much higher than in other recent years. The jump in deaths could be attributed to the strain of the flu that was common last year being less impacted by vaccines, the Associated Press reported.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told AARP that “one sick person getting on a plane” could easily change the strain that hits during America’s flu season.
Anyone with information on Bucks County’s flu clinic can call 215-345-3318 or visit BucksCounty.org/health.
