CVS, Walgreens will start giving seasonal flu shots Tuesday
NEW YORK -- The pharmacy chains CVS Caremark and Walgreens say they are making flu shots available starting Tuesday, three or four weeks earlier than usual.
Walgreens is based in Deerfield and CVS has operations in Northbrook.
CVS said appointments for the flu vaccine will be available at all 500 of its walk-in MinuteClinics, and at scheduled events in many of its 6,900 drugstores. The vaccine is intended to prevent the seasonal flu and is separate from vaccines for swine flu. CVS said a swine flu vaccine could be ready by mid-October.
Dr. Troy Brennan, CVS's Chief Medical Officer, said the seasonal flu shot will be available throughout the fall. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the vaccine for children, the elderly, caregivers, pregnant women, and people with weak immune systems or many other chronic health problems.
CVS said it will hold more than 9,000 "flu shot clinic events" at its stores, where pharmacists or other health care workers will give the injections. Those events will start Sept. 15, and a schedule will be available at the Rhode Island company's Web site.
Brennan said most of the experts he has spoken to are expecting greater demand for the vaccine this year because of the swine flu pandemic. Several companies are testing swine flu vaccines, which may be administered as one shot or two.
Walgreens also will begin offering seasonal flu shots Tuesday at nearly nearly all of its stores in 50 states and almost 350 in-store Take Care Clinics.
And beginning Sept. 8 through Sept. 30, all clinics and Walgreens pharmacies will have immunizing pharmacists or nurse practitioners on staff from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, offering shots on a walk-in basis or by appointment for $24.99. Shots are available outside those hours if an immunizing pharmacist or nurse practitioner is on duty. State age and health condition-related restrictions may apply.
"With a heightened awareness around this flu season, we've assembled the resources to be the go-to source for flu prevention, as well as general health and wellness, in every community we serve," said Walgreens President and CEO Greg Wasson.
A new Walgreens survey found that more consumers, 50 percent, plan to get a seasonal flu shot this year, up from 43 percent who say they got one last season. Additionally, 27 percent say they are more concerned about getting the flu than they were a year ago.
The flu shot contains flu virus particles that are already dead, the CDC says, so it is not possible to get the flu from the vaccine.
According to the agency, about 226,000 Americans are hospitalized with the flu each year, and about 36,000 die.