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Florida Blue Offers Free Shots Starting Thursday To Get Ahead Of Flu Season

Person getting a flu shot
NIAID
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FLickr via Wikimedia Commons

While flu season typically doesn’t peak until late fall, Jacksonville based insurance company Florida Blue — together with Walgreens — is offering free flu shots now, statewide.

Florida Blue’s Emma Slier said the first flu vaccination clinics of the season are scheduled for Thursday at the Florida Blue storefronts at the St. Johns Town Center, River City Marketplace and inside the Riverside YMCA. 

People with insurance should bring their card. People without insurance will get a voucher for a free shot.

“You do not have to have insurance with Florida Blue or any insurance. Anybody is welcome to come see us for these no cost flu vaccines. Walgreens will be here from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. to anybody coming in [age] 18 or over,” said Slier.

Walgreens will be at each of the locations to give out the shots from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Slier said the clinics are starting early so more people can be protected from the flu this year.

“Preliminary numbers are looking like as many as 60,000 died of flu last winter and that’s according to the CDC.  So definitely there’s a big need to make sure that as many people get the flu shot as possible.”

Free flu shots will also be available on certain Thursdays and Saturdays.  Florida Blue will be updating its website with additional flu shot scheduling information as it becomes available.

Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter at @cydwjctnews.

Photo used under Creative Commons license.

Cyd Hoskinson began working at WJCT on Valentine’s Day 2011.