Flu shots

With flu season approaching, the Alabama Department of Public Health is offering a new, more convenient approach to getting inoculated: a drive-through flu shot clinic that won’t even have you stepping out of your car.

APDH will host a drive-through flu shot clinic in Cullman on Friday, Oct. 2 in the parking lot of the Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center, located on U.S. Highway 31 North near Vinemont. The clinic is set to last from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., and guests can pay either a flat $5 per-shot fee, or file the cost away on their Medicare.

“Just bring your Medicare card and the staff on site will take care of the rest,” said Cullman County Emergency Management Agency director Phyllis Little on Friday. “It’s set up for convenience, so you never have to leave your car.”

Public health officials are currently urging people to get flu shots not so much because of any anticipation of an elevated flu risk this year, but because of the dual threat of both COVID-19 and the seasonal flu.

“The biggest concern is the flu season and the COVID-19 overlapping,” Little explained. “ADPH is really encouraging people to get their flu shot because, if you have the flu, your resistance to other illnesses is reduced. And by the same token, if you contract COVID-19, it can make you more susceptible to other illnesses.”

Shots will be offered on a first-come basis, and no appointment is necessary — just show up at the Ag Center and receive your flu shot in less the 15 minutes’ time, if there’s no wait ahead.