A drive-thru clinic provided flu shots to 33 people in Hopkinsville on Tuesday as health advocates across the country urge Americans to get the seasonal immunization in hopes an influenza outbreak doesn’t pull resources away from efforts to fight the coronavirus.
The Christian County Health Department set up the drive-thru clinic at Tie Breaker Park, where COVID-19 testing continues from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday.
The health department will likely offer another flu shot clinic but a date has not been set, said department spokeswoman Amanda Sweeney.
Flu shots are also available at the health department on Canton Street across from Jennie Stuart Medical Center.
“There is no appointment required to get a flu shot at the health department, we can provide them on a walk-in basis,” Sweeney said.
Most health insurance covers the cost of a shot — $30 for a regular dose and $50 for a senior’s dose.
Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday he is urging Kentuckians to get the flu shot because a bad flu outbreak could trigger a “twindemic” that might overwhelm health care system, he said.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
