Drive-thru flu shots offered next month

This will be one drive-through where no one wants to supersize their order. On Oct. 2 nurses will be poking needles into drivers at Spokane County’s first drive-through influenza vaccination clinic. County health officials wanted to try something a little different this year to encourage people to get the flu shot, so they decided offer a venue Americans have become accustomed to using. The clinic will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Spokane Valley YMCA at Mirabeau Point. It’s available to people 13 and older. Adults will be asked to pay $10 for the shot. Teens are free. Adults are encouraged to bring their Medicare or Medicaid cards with them. Susan Sjoberg, program manager for emergency preparedness at the Spokane Regional Health District, said there will be a general check-in area and then drivers will be directed to one of three drive-thru lanes where a nurse will asked drivers to roll up their sleeves for the shot. The drivers will then motor to the next station where money is collected and the shot recipients are evaluated. Total time from check-in to back on the road: 12 to 15 minutes “in an ideal situation,” Sjoberg said. The health district is asking that no more than four people per car get the shot to help keep the lines moving. Drive-thru vaccination clinics have been used with success in several other Eastern Washington communities. “We’re just going to give it try this year as a way to expand opportunities for our community to access flu shots,” said health district spokeswoman Kim Papich. The flu shot this year is a one-shot dose, which covers two strains of seasonal flu and the H1N1 strain, also called swine flu. Children younger than 12 may receive a free flu shot during a walk-in clinic offered during the same time in the same vicinity.