Philadelphia's health department is giving free flu and COVID-19 vaccines to children and adults at three city health centers, betting that easier access will get more residents immunized before winter.
Walk-ins are welcome, and people don't have to be patients at the centers. City residents pay nothing whether or not they carry insurance, but they must show they live in Philadelphia, such as with a utility bill in their name.
Shots are offered weekdays from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Health Center 2 in Point Breeze, 1700 S. Broad St., Unit 201; Health Center 6 in North Philadelphia, 301 W. Girard Ave.; and Health Center 10 in Northeast Philadelphia, 2230 Cottman Ave.
Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson said residents who get both vaccines now will be covered through Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season.
Officials said the campaign follows two winters with heavy caseloads and many hospital admissions. National data shows that under half the population got a flu shot last year.
Under current guidelines, anyone 6 months or older should receive at least one dose for each of the two viruses, and the recommendation extends to babies, expectant mothers and older adults.
Doctors caution that the vaccines may not fully block infection but can make illness milder. Dr. Millen Gebreselassie, who runs clinical operations at Health Center 10 and practices family medicine, said a flu shot cuts the odds of complications and hospital stays even in seasons when it poorly matches the circulating strain.
Gebreselassie said a flu shot cannot give someone the flu. Plenty of people feel nothing afterward, while some get brief soreness or redness at the injection site, tiredness, headaches, muscle aches or a slight fever. Doctors say raising vaccination rates will take more public education about safety and treating those reactions as normal.
Raval-Nelson said getting vaccinated also lowers the chance of passing large amounts of virus to vulnerable people nearby, including infants, elderly relatives, chemotherapy patients and people with no immune defenses.
