As part of its commitment to building a healthier community, Riverside Health System will administer free flu shots throughout the regions it serves in Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, the Eastern Shore, Gloucester and Tappahannock.
Free flu shots will be available for ages 14 and up while supplies last at the following locations:
Thursday, Oct. 4, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Riverside Wellness & Fitness Center – Peninsula
12650 Jefferson Ave. in Newport News
Thursday, Oct. 11, 8 a.m. to noon
Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg – Main Lobby
1500 Commonwealth Ave. in Williamsburg
Thursday, Oct. 18, 8 a.m. to noon
Riverside Medical Office Building – Hampton
850 Enterprise Parkway in Hampton
Thursday, Oct. 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Eastern Shore Family Medicine
10085 William F. Bernart Circle in Nassawadox
Thursday, Oct. 25, 8 a.m. to noon
Riverside Walter Reed Hospital – Conference Room
7519 Hospital Drive in Gloucester
Thursday, Oct. 25, 3 to 5 p.m.
Riverside Tappahannock Hospital
618 Hospital Road in Tappahannock
Saturday, Nov. 3, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Riverside Regional Medical Center – Main Lobby
500 J. Clyde Morris Blvd. in Newport News
Calling it the “number one thing people can do” to protect themselves from the flu, O.T. Adcock, Jr., M.D., RPh, a family practice physician who also serves as Associate Medical Director with Riverside Medical Group said “there’s almost no reason not to get a flu shot.”
The flu, short for influenza, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. It can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection can result in hospitalization or death. Some people, such as older adults, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that the flu season is unpredictable and constantly changing, with the severity and length of each season changing from year to year, flu season in the U.S. generally runs through the fall and winter.
The unknowns of the season underscore the importance to get vaccinated, the CDC reports, and take every day preventative measures to prevent spreading the virus, including staying away from sick people, washing hands frequently and staying home from work and school when sick to prevent exposing others.
Getting vaccinated before flu activity begins helps provide protection once flu season starts. It takes roughly two weeks following the vaccination for the body’s immune system to respond to provide the protection.
For more information about Riverside Health System and the 2018 flu clinic series, visit riversideonline.com/flu.