Health departments in Glynn, Camden counties to offer free flu shots

Flu shots available 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday on first-come, first-serve basis

Health departments in several southeast Georgia counties, including Camden and Glynn, will offer free flu shots from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday to those ages 3 and older who do not have insurance, the Georgia Department of Public Health said. 

Shots will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last. 

Health departments in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty and McIntosh counties will also be offering free flu shots from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports flu is widespread throughout Georgia and more than 300 people have been hospitalized with flu-related illness across the state. 

“This has been an extremely rough flu season and the entire country has been hit hard,” said Lawton Davis, M.D., health director for the Coastal Health District. “It’s not too late to get vaccinated against the flu and we want to encourage those who have not been vaccinated to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and sometime diarrhea or vomiting.

The Georgia Department of Public Health offered several steps people can take to prevent getting or spreading the flu:

  • Avoid close contact with sick people.
  • If you get sick with a flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. The fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medications.
  • While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
  • Try to cough or sneeze into the corner of your elbow and not your hand, or cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs.

For more information on this year’s flu season and the flu vaccine, visit cdc.gov/flu.


About the Author:

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.