Press Release

Cartersville, GA:  The Bartow County Health Department, 100 Zena Drive, Cartersville, is now offering flu vaccines by appointment during regular business hours. Call 770-382-1920 for an appointment.  Limited walk-ins are also available.

Public health experts say now is a good time for people to consider getting vaccinated for the upcoming flu season. “Get your flu vaccine as soon as it is available each year,” says Cathy Green, nurse manager at the Bartow County Health Department, “and there’s plenty of it available in our community right now, including at the health department.”

“We have the high dose vaccine available for adults 65 and older who are at greater risk of severe illness from influenza and the quadrivalent vaccine that provides broader protection against circulating flu viruses for everyone else.”

Green says everyone six months and older should get a flu vaccine by the end of October, if possible. Flu season can start early, and it

takes about two weeks after your vaccination for the full antibody effect to develop and provide flu protection. That’s why it’s better to get vaccinated in August, September or early October, before the flu season really kicks in.

“The flu shot will last through the flu season,” Green says. “It’s never too early to get a flu shot, as we cannot accurately predict when the influenza season will begin, but it can be too late.” Flu season usually begins in October, but can begin as early as September and can last well into March. Peak flu season in Georgia usually occurs in late January and early February.

Who should get a flu vaccine? Everyone six months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season. Vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complication from influenza, including:

  • Children younger than five, but especially children younger than two years,
  • adults 65 years of age and older,
  • pregnant women and women up to two weeks postpartum,
  • residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and
  • people who have medical conditions including asthma, chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, etc.

It is especially important to get the flu vaccine if you, someone you live with, or someone you care for is at high risk of complications from flu.

It’s also recommended that pregnant women get a flu vaccine during any trimester of their pregnancy. There’s added value to the seasonal flu vaccine for pregnant women, too. Not only does it protect them against the flu, it also protects their newborn infants, for up to the first few months of life at least, at a time when infants are too young to receive the vaccine themselves.

Bartow County Health Department hours are Monday – Wednesday 8 am to 5 pm, Thursday 8 am to 6:30 pm, and Friday 8 am to 2 pm.

Acceptable payment methods include cash, credit-or-debit card, Medicare, Medicaid, PeachCare, Aetna, Cigna, and most BlueCross BlueShield and United Health Care plans.

 

Contact the Bartow County Health Department, 100 Zena Drive SE, Cartersville, at 770-382-1920; the Environmental Health office at 770-387-2614, or visit www.nwgapublichealth.org/counties/bartow or www.facebook.com/BartowCountyHealthDepartment

For more information about seasonal influenza and flu vaccines, visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm