By Amy Riggs
Should there be a smallpox outbreak, Utahns would be in desperate need of the vaccine that would save their lives.
Getting that vaccine, however, would involve long lines and a mass of medical personnel.
Today (Jan. 16, 2007), four sites will offer free flu vaccines while the Utah County Health Department conducts a Pandemic Influenza Exercise, an emergency preparedness drill.
By conducting this exercise, the UCHD will get a chance to simulate what conditions might be like if a pandemic outbreak were to infect Utahns, said Lance Madigan, the UCHD?s Public Information Officer.
A second reason for the mass vaccination effort is to use under-utilized flu shots that the public has mistakenly assumed wouldn?t be useful if received after Thanksgiving, Madigan said.
?People think they have to have [the flu shots] in October, but most years the flu peaks in February,? Madigan said. ?If people get their flu shots now, it would be just in time for the spike.?
The flu shots will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.
| Locations |
Provo:Utah County Health and Justice Building: 151 S. University Ave., Suite 1600 Orem: Orem Senior Friendship Center: 93 North 400 East American Fork: American Fork Jr. High School: 20 West 1120 North Spanish Fork: Spanish Fork Trails Ward Building, LDS Church: 98 Main Street |
