I decided to wait this year. Well the number of people including tourists walking around NYC coughing and looking sick was enough to convince me to get the flu shot today.

We totally screwed up this year and got 4 of our 5 family members vaccinated. This year, dad and two kids went on one day in October. I was at an appointment with the other kid that day and for some reason I kept telling myself, DH got him the shot later. I don’t know why I didn’t even check because I was so certain but seeing all the news, I decided to double check their records and they didn’t get it.

I have health anxiety and made an appointment to take them to the CVS tomorrow. Will it still be helpful? They had to do a 5 day course of antibiotics for a cut and that ended on Tuesday so I’m a little nervous.

I kept putting off the flu shot. I was hoping I'd end up at the doctor for something else and they could just do it quickly opportunistically.

But no, and now I probably have it. I had a fever of 104.5 earlier today.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op - omg Americans Jfc

Get the freaking flu shot bc there is zero - and I mean zero - downside to doing so. Is it super effective against this strain of flu? Who knows. It doesn’t matter. The point is the flu is bad, and possibly without the shot I could have had a hospitalized kid.

I do not understand what is wrong with this country that this thread has become about the 2 seconds it takes to get stuck by a small needle and not about the highly aggressive disease it is designed to mitigate. Grow up, as a nation.

I think you don't realize how hard it is for a lot of people to get a flu shot. I have Kaiser and can only get a flu shot with an appt at a Kaiser shot clinic. The closest center is 30 min each way from me, making 5 appts in a row for my kids and us is challenging, and the times offered are limited. This year I just gave up on Kaiser and paid $35 a person to get a flu shot at the pharmacy near me, but that's $175 and a lot of money to most people. I wish I could just go to close by places like everyone else is able to.

People without insurance also will have trouble getting a flu shot.

Many hospitals offer free flu shot clinics in lower income areas. One near us offers a free “drive thru”, just roll open your windows and stick out your arm. The kids think it’s fun. Do a search to see if you can find one.
The flu shot is very inexpensive compared to other vaccines (like Covid), so it’s not unusual to find it offered free.

Where???!!! Because safeway used to do drive up shots out front outside of the stores then cancelled them all this fall.

- adding that no proof of insurance required, it’s just free for anyone. Great for the uninsured.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op - omg Americans Jfc

Get the freaking flu shot bc there is zero - and I mean zero - downside to doing so. Is it super effective against this strain of flu? Who knows. It doesn’t matter. The point is the flu is bad, and possibly without the shot I could have had a hospitalized kid.

I do not understand what is wrong with this country that this thread has become about the 2 seconds it takes to get stuck by a small needle and not about the highly aggressive disease it is designed to mitigate. Grow up, as a nation.

I think you don't realize how hard it is for a lot of people to get a flu shot. I have Kaiser and can only get a flu shot with an appt at a Kaiser shot clinic. The closest center is 30 min each way from me, making 5 appts in a row for my kids and us is challenging, and the times offered are limited. This year I just gave up on Kaiser and paid $35 a person to get a flu shot at the pharmacy near me, but that's $175 and a lot of money to most people. I wish I could just go to close by places like everyone else is able to.

People without insurance also will have trouble getting a flu shot.

Many hospitals offer free flu shot clinics in lower income areas. One near us offers a free “drive thru”, just roll open your windows and stick out your arm. The kids think it’s fun. Do a search to see if you can find one.
The flu shot is very inexpensive compared to other vaccines (like Covid), so it’s not unusual to find it offered free.

Anonymous wrote:Op - omg Americans Jfc

Get the freaking flu shot bc there is zero - and I mean zero - downside to doing so. Is it super effective against this strain of flu? Who knows. It doesn’t matter. The point is the flu is bad, and possibly without the shot I could have had a hospitalized kid.

I do not understand what is wrong with this country that this thread has become about the 2 seconds it takes to get stuck by a small needle and not about the highly aggressive disease it is designed to mitigate. Grow up, as a nation.

I so agree.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op - omg Americans Jfc

Get the freaking flu shot bc there is zero - and I mean zero - downside to doing so. Is it super effective against this strain of flu? Who knows. It doesn’t matter. The point is the flu is bad, and possibly without the shot I could have had a hospitalized kid.

I do not understand what is wrong with this country that this thread has become about the 2 seconds it takes to get stuck by a small needle and not about the highly aggressive disease it is designed to mitigate. Grow up, as a nation.

I think you don't realize how hard it is for a lot of people to get a flu shot. I have Kaiser and can only get a flu shot with an appt at a Kaiser shot clinic. The closest center is 30 min each way from me, making 5 appts in a row for my kids and us is challenging, and the times offered are limited. This year I just gave up on Kaiser and paid $35 a person to get a flu shot at the pharmacy near me, but that's $175 and a lot of money to most people. I wish I could just go to close by places like everyone else is able to.

People without insurance also will have trouble getting a flu shot.

BS. I got a free shot at my GROCERY STORE. And a coupon for groceries. All the drug stores are free flu shots. Work places set up free shot clinics. There is very obviously a wider group benefit to this and you are just spreading misinformation.

Did you have to show your insurance card?
I also got my shot at the grocery store and paid nothing. But I gave them my insurance card and can see online on the claims page that my insurance paid $62.

Right. And try doing that without insurance. It's only "free" with insurance.

Anonymous wrote:Just took my fam of five in this morning, this is a bad season. Everyone should always get it every year of course.

If you're so good about getting the shot, why did you wait until January?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op - omg Americans Jfc

Get the freaking flu shot bc there is zero - and I mean zero - downside to doing so. Is it super effective against this strain of flu? Who knows. It doesn’t matter. The point is the flu is bad, and possibly without the shot I could have had a hospitalized kid.

I do not understand what is wrong with this country that this thread has become about the 2 seconds it takes to get stuck by a small needle and not about the highly aggressive disease it is designed to mitigate. Grow up, as a nation.

I think you don't realize how hard it is for a lot of people to get a flu shot. I have Kaiser and can only get a flu shot with an appt at a Kaiser shot clinic. The closest center is 30 min each way from me, making 5 appts in a row for my kids and us is challenging, and the times offered are limited. This year I just gave up on Kaiser and paid $35 a person to get a flu shot at the pharmacy near me, but that's $175 and a lot of money to most people. I wish I could just go to close by places like everyone else is able to.

People without insurance also will have trouble getting a flu shot.

BS. I got a free shot at my GROCERY STORE. And a coupon for groceries. All the drug stores are free flu shots. Work places set up free shot clinics. There is very obviously a wider group benefit to this and you are just spreading misinformation.

Did you have to show your insurance card?
I also got my shot at the grocery store and paid nothing. But I gave them my insurance card and can see online on the claims page that my insurance paid $62.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op - omg Americans Jfc

Get the freaking flu shot bc there is zero - and I mean zero - downside to doing so. Is it super effective against this strain of flu? Who knows. It doesn’t matter. The point is the flu is bad, and possibly without the shot I could have had a hospitalized kid.

I do not understand what is wrong with this country that this thread has become about the 2 seconds it takes to get stuck by a small needle and not about the highly aggressive disease it is designed to mitigate. Grow up, as a nation.

I think you don't realize how hard it is for a lot of people to get a flu shot. I have Kaiser and can only get a flu shot with an appt at a Kaiser shot clinic. The closest center is 30 min each way from me, making 5 appts in a row for my kids and us is challenging, and the times offered are limited. This year I just gave up on Kaiser and paid $35 a person to get a flu shot at the pharmacy near me, but that's $175 and a lot of money to most people. I wish I could just go to close by places like everyone else is able to.

People without insurance also will have trouble getting a flu shot.

BS. I got a free shot at my GROCERY STORE. And a coupon for groceries. All the drug stores are free flu shots. Work places set up free shot clinics. There is very obviously a wider group benefit to this and you are just spreading misinformation.

LOL it's only free with your insurance card. If you don't have insurance it's not free. I wish I could go to Target and get a free shot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sometimes let myself think the DCUM set is more intelligent than average, but then a thread like this brings me back to reality. Get your flu shot every year. Even a poorly matched shot offers protection. This isn’t new information.

You do realize there is scant evidence for the flu shot’s effectiveness right? There is little statistical or anecdotal evidence despite this thing being given to hundreds of millions of people over 45 years.

It’s only people like you still supporting it. People who are particularly susceptible to marketing and think themselves smarter than they actually are. If they couldn’t advertise the shot anymore, people like you would never take it again.

There is a sticky on this forum that ANTI-VAX posts will be deleted. So just stop with the anti-vax sentiments. Go on truth social or whatever.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op - omg Americans Jfc

Get the freaking flu shot bc there is zero - and I mean zero - downside to doing so. Is it super effective against this strain of flu? Who knows. It doesn’t matter. The point is the flu is bad, and possibly without the shot I could have had a hospitalized kid.

I do not understand what is wrong with this country that this thread has become about the 2 seconds it takes to get stuck by a small needle and not about the highly aggressive disease it is designed to mitigate. Grow up, as a nation.

I think you don't realize how hard it is for a lot of people to get a flu shot. I have Kaiser and can only get a flu shot with an appt at a Kaiser shot clinic. The closest center is 30 min each way from me, making 5 appts in a row for my kids and us is challenging, and the times offered are limited. This year I just gave up on Kaiser and paid $35 a person to get a flu shot at the pharmacy near me, but that's $175 and a lot of money to most people. I wish I could just go to close by places like everyone else is able to.

People without insurance also will have trouble getting a flu shot.

BS. I got a free shot at my GROCERY STORE. And a coupon for groceries. All the drug stores are free flu shots. Work places set up free shot clinics. There is very obviously a wider group benefit to this and you are just spreading misinformation.

Just took my fam of five in this morning, this is a bad season. Everyone should always get it every year of course.

Anonymous wrote:I ended up not getting the flu shot after missing the appointments when they were offering it at work. Everyone else in my family got it. Learned my lesson when I spent half of my precious New Year break sick as a dog while the rest of the family is out having fun on the slopes.

My work also offers it and that's where dh and I get it. Why don't schools offer shot clinics?