VA to administer flu shots at drive-thru clinics

DUBLIN — The Carl Vinson VA Medical Center’s drive-thru flu clinic is open and providing seasonal flu shots to veterans.

The drive-thru clinic is open Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The Drivethru Clinic is in front of the Main VA Medical Center building by the flagpole. There are three reserved spots for the flu clinic. There is no need to get out of your car; just pull up, call the number and we will come to you. Drivers should use caution when driving around the circle, as pedestrians could be in the crosswalk and vehicles can obstruct their view.

“The 2020-21 flu season is expected to coincide with the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak,” Carl Vinson Medical Center Director David Whitmer said in a news release. “Please think of a flu shot as another layer of personal protective equipment. Measures such as wearing face coverings, washing hands frequently and practicing physical distancing also are effective against the spread of the flu, as well as COVID-19.”

Veterans with a VA identification card may also receive a flu shot during their next scheduled primary/specialty care or mental health appointment or from one of the medical center’s seven community-based outpatient clinics.

Veterans also may choose to receive their flu shots, including high-dose vaccines, at participating community care network pharmacies or urgent care locations.

There are flu shots at Walmart, CVS and Kroger. Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated there were more than 410,000 flu hospitalizations and more than 24,000 deaths in the United States.

The drive-thru clinic also will operate at the VA’s community-based outpatient clinics. That schedule includes:

♦ Albany: Oct. 15, Nov. 12;

♦ Brunswick: Oct. 2, Nov. 6;

♦ Macon: Oct. 7, Nov. 18;

♦ Milledgeville: Oct. 19, Nov. 16;

♦ Perry: Oct. 27, Nov. 3;

♦ Tifton: Oct. 20, Nov. 17.