Kent County flu vaccination clinic set

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - As a brutal flu season continues, the Kent County Health Department is holding a vaccination clinic at the end of the month.

121 new cases of flu have been confirmed in Kent County in the last week, making this season's total 711 cases. The rate of the illness's spread has slowed in the past week and is down significantly since early January.

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From the Kent County Health Department:
 
Reporting Date     New Cases   Season Total
December 18             5                   5
December 26            107               112
January 2                 130                242
January 8                  221               463
January 15                127               590
January 22                121               711

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The Kent County Health Department is hearing that some local pharmacies and physicians are out of flu vaccinations, according to a Wednesday release.

The health department is urging people to get vaccinated for the flu; particularly pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, the very young, the elderly, and the caretakers of babies too young to be vaccinated.

 "It's not too late to get vaccinated. There are three strains of flu this year's vaccine protects against," Administrative Health Officer Cathy Raevsky said in the release.

To help meet demand, a flu vaccination clinic is set for Thursday, Jan. 31 from 8 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the Health Department Clinic located at 700 Fuller NE in Grand Rapids. Appointments may be made by calling the health department at 616.632.7200.

Injections will be $25 each and nasal mist will be $32 each. The health department will bill Medicaid and Medicare, but not private insurance. Cash, check, Visa, MasterCard or Discover will be accepted.

The health department also recommends staying home from work if you're sick to prevent spreading the illness.

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Online:

Centers for Disease Control on the flu

Kent County Health Department flu information and prevention tips

Michigan Department of Community Health flu information and prevention tips