CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid Corp. has kicked off its annual flu shot program, providing seasonal flu vaccinations at its more than 4,600 drug stores nationwide.
The drug chain said Monday that flu vaccines, administered by a Rite Aid certified immunizing pharmacist, are available on a walk-in basis at all stores for $29.99.
Customers getting a flu shot at Rite Aid also will receive a free coupon booklet with more than $100 in savings on health, wellness, beauty and household items and other products.
Rite Aid added that members of its free wellness+ customer loyalty program will earn 25 points when getting a flu shot.
"While it’s difficult to predict what any flu season will be like, we do know that getting a flu shot as soon as it is available is the single best way to be protected against the flu," Robert Thompson, executive vice president of pharmacy at Rite Aid, said in a statement. "That’s why starting now, Rite Aid is making flu shots available all day, every day, to help our customers and communities stay healthy throughout flu season."
The 2012-13 flu vaccine includes protection against two different viruses for this season, covering the influenza A H3N2 virus, influenza B virus and H1N1 virus (swine flu) that emerged in 2009.
Rite Aid noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone age 6 months and older get a flu shot as soon as it is available, since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against the flu. In the United States, flu season starts as early as October and can run through mid-May, typically peaking between December and April.
