Nursing

In the News: Get your lunch and your flu shot in one day without stepping out of the car

Stressed Out Nurses Weekly, October 4, 2010

We’ve all heard of drive-through fast food restaurants, drive-through ATM machines, and even drive-through liquor stores; but what about a drive-through flu shot clinic? On September 29, in Greenwood, IN, the Visiting Nurse Service, Inc., of Indianapolis held a drive-through flu-shot clinic, one of the first clinics of the season.

For nurses, it’s never too early to get the shot because the influenza virus is already spreading. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the vaccine incorporates some of the major strains of the flu virus going around.

"The CDC picks what they think will be the three most popular strains that are going to circulate the globe and puts those strains into the flu shot every year,” Lisa Lowery, of Visiting Nurse Service, told WTHR channel 13. This year’s vaccine contains the well-known H1N1 strain.

The drive-through clinic, unlike many clinics, allowed young children to be vaccinated by licensed nurses without a prescription from a physician. The clinic distributed shots to children as young as six months. A Thimerosal-free shot was offered to people allergic to the ingredient or who requested a Thimerosal-free vaccine.

Afraid of needles? The flu-shot clinic also offers the flu mist vaccine, which goes directly into the nostrils. Pregnant woman, children younger than two, and adults older than 49 were warned not to take the flu-mist. 

This is the first of many drive-through flu shot clinics in the area.

For more in-depth information about this clinic, and to find out where more are taking place, check out the Visiting Nurse Service website.

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