UCHealth Offering Free Flu Shots Saturday At Park Meadows Mall
LONE TREE, Colo. (CBS4) -- If you and your family members still need to get the flu shot, you can get it on Saturday -- for free -- even if you don't have health insurance.
UCHealth is hosting a free flu shot event at the Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be located on level one next to Eco Mountain.
Anyone aged 3-65 is welcome to get a complimentary flu shot.
Doctors are urging people to get the flu shot as soon as possible to be immunized before the peak of the flu season.
"The flu vaccine takes about two weeks for your body to produce antibodies," Dr. Johnny Shen told CBS4.
Flu Season Is Here But It's Not Too Late To Get The Flu Shot
According to the Centers for Disease Control website, influenza activity often begins to increase in October. Most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February.
The CDC reported a drop in people getting the flu shot last season. The CDC also reported 180 children died nationwide last year from the flu and that 80 percent of those kids were not vaccinated.
Dr. Shen said children are more susceptible to catching it, because their immune systems are not as developed as adults.
He said pregnant women can get the flu shot without harming their unborn baby. Even people with egg allergies can get the shot, but they should talk to their doctor first.
Shen said washing your hands, coughing into your arm and disinfecting surfaces are still the best ways to ward off the flu.