ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Once summer finally gives way to fall, health experts start dishing out warnings about the upcoming flu season, while encouraging people to get their flu shots.
In Annapolis, officials made it so easy that people could sit inside their cars and get a shot.
The Anne Arundel County Department of Health teamed up with the city of Annapolis for its second drive-thru flu shot clinic, held at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Saturday. As many as 1500 doses were available for free to anyone who showed up.
Bill Hoyer of Annapolis made sure to take advantage. “It’s incredibly easy. I brought all this stuff to read and I’m in and out in 15 minutes,” he said.
“It was easy, just had to drive a few miles over here,” said Marco Gentile, also of Annapolis. Not a fan of needles, he said he “waited a few minutes and it wasn’t bad at all, really.”
Anne Arundel County was able to put on this program through a partnership with the state of Maryland. On the one hand, the event gives the county a chance to see how well it can mobilize a quick response to any sort of biological attack that would require immediate action.
But David Rose, a deputy health officer with the county, says even more importantly, it helps “make sure that the public is vaccinated [against the flu] and aware of the need for that on an annual basis.”
“The flu virus changes every year,” he said. “So even though you received vaccination last year, it’s important every year to protect you and your loved ones.”
