News 6 and AdventHealth Centra Care are teaming up once again to offer free flu shots in Central Florida.
Centra Care will host events on Monday and Wednesday where Central Floridians can receive free flu shots. Insurance is not required.
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Dr. Scott Brady, the president of AdventHealth Centra Care, said getting the flu can be very dangerous for children and adults, especially those with chronic medical conditions.
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“The flu shot is the best thing you can do to prevent getting the influenza,” Brady said. “If you want to prevent that, and you can prevent hospitalization if you have a chronic disease, the flu shot is important.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last flu season was moderately severe with approximately 31 million illnesses, 360,000 hospitalizations and 21,000 deaths.
The vaccine for this season came after scientists studied spread of the virus a few months ago in the southern hemisphere.
“In Australia, there was a pretty good flu season, a normal flu season,” Brady said. “The strains that were there are now in our vaccine to protect us.”
As it’s early in the 2023-24 flu season, experts recommend getting vaccinated as soon as possible.
The free flu shots will be offered at the following locations and times:
Monday, Oct. 16, at Centra Care in Ocoee
- 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- 11001 W. Colonial Drive, Suite 110, Ocoee, FL 34761
Wednesday, Oct. 18, at Centra Care in Melbourne
- 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- 6345 N. Wickham Road, Unit 101, Melbourne, FL 32940
The events will also feature food trucks, offering free food for anyone getting a flu shot.
The Dancing Empanda will be at Monday’s flu shot event. The Knot will be at Wednesday’s event.
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below: