HEALTH DEPARTMENT OFFERS FIRST FLU VACCINE CLINIC FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, FROM 2 – 4 P.M. IN POMONA

HEALTH DEPARTMENT OFFERS FIRST FLU VACCINE CLINIC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, FROM 2 PM – 4 PM IN POMONA
Get ahead of the flu! Get your flu shot before the start of influenza season!

NEW CITY, NY – – Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert announce that the Health Department has scheduled its first flu vaccine clinic for early Fall 2019. This clinic is for anyone 6 months and older, and will be held on Friday, September 13 from 2 pm – 4 pm at the Robert Yeager Health Center, Building A, second floor clinic area, located at 50 Sanatorium Road in Pomona.

The flu is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others. “Getting the flu vaccine is the main way to prevent the flu and its complications,” said Dr. Ruppert.

The vaccine is free of charge if you:
• are 65 years and older (please bring identification with proof of age)
• have Medicare or Medicaid (please bring your card)
• are uninsured or underinsured

No appointments are needed. There is a $20 fee for those 6 months through 64 years old. Cash or checks will be accepted. For those with private health insurance, we will provide you with a receipt to submit to your health insurance for possible reimbursement.

The Health Department is giving the quadrivalent flu vaccine, which does not contain preservatives, including thimerosal. The vaccine is called quadrivalent because it offers protection against four different flu virus strains that research shows will be most common during this flu season: two influenza (flu) A virus strains and two influenza B virus strains. It is recommended that you wait for 15 minutes after being vaccinated so you can be observed for any reaction.

Everyone six months of age and older should get the flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available each year before flu begins spreading in your community. It’s better to get vaccinated early in the fall before the flu season really gets underway since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against the flu virus. The protection you get from the flu vaccine will last throughout the flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people get a flu vaccine by the end of October. Getting vaccinated even in January or later, however, can still be beneficial.

For more information about the flu and the flu vaccine clinics visit http://bit.ly/2c154Bj or call 845-364-2534.

COUNTY PRESS RELEASE