GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer Inc. expects to provide 30% more flu shots this season versus a year ago but notes that many families aren’t looking to get vaccinated as soon as they should.
The supercenter retailer said Tuesday that the back-to-school season is the best time for flu immunizations to help limit the spread of seasonal flu for families.
According to Nat Love, Meijer Drug Store vice president, one of the leading myths about flu shots is waiting until later in the fall to get one, which could keep families from staying healthy when viruses might be most prevalent.
"The best time to get a flu shot is not October, but actually before or soon after school starts," Love said in a statement. "Once classes begin, kids can literally bring viruses into your home every day, and it becomes difficult to keep influenza from spreading throughout the whole family. There is no expiration date to receiving a flu shot, so the sooner you get your flu shot, the better chance you have of staying healthy."
Other common myths about flu vaccinations, Meijer said, include the following:
• You can get the flu from the flu vaccine.
• You should wait to be vaccinated so your immunity to the flu will last all season.
• If the viruses in the flu vaccine have not changed since last year, I do not need the flu
shot this year.
• If you have not gotten vaccinated by December, it is too late to get your flu shot.
• I am healthy, and isn’t it better to get immunity from actually getting the illness?
H1N1 remains the most dominant influenza strain for this coming season, according to Love, who added that walk-in service and new options for flu shots at Meijer and other retailers are making it easier for families to get vaccinated.
Depending on age, health status and state regulations, Meijer pharmacies offer a variety of flu vaccine options, including Fluvirin/Fluzone injections ($27.99), FluMist nasal spray ($32.99, by request), Fluzone High-Dose shots ($56, for patients age 65 and older), and Fluzone Quadrivalent injections ($32.99, covering four flu strains and available for patients ages 5 to 49.
Meijer operates pharmacies in all of its supercenters across the Midwest, and all locations administer the vaccine without an appointment during pharmacy hours.
Getting a flu shot, as well as other immunizations offered at Meijer, also may count as prescription credits in the retailer’s new mPerks Pharmacy Rewards Program, which enables customers to earn savings on shopping and gas purchases.
