Walgreens Makes Influenza Vaccine Available At All Its Pharmacies

(RTTNews) - Walgreens said Monday that it is offering influenza vaccine at all of its 9,100 pharmacies, with additional safety measures. The move is in view of the upcoming flu season.

The drugstore chain said that it will take patients' temperature and screen for the presence of symptoms or illness, before giving the influenza vaccines, also known as flu shots. It asked patients to wear face masks.

It has also asked pharmacy team members to wear plastic face shields for additional protection.

The company has guided that patients could get their flu shots by walk-in or schedule an appointment via Walgreens Find Care through the Walgreens app or online during pharmacy hours, including evenings, overnights at 24-hour pharmacy locations, weekends and holidays.

The company estimates that 60 percent of U.S. adults will get an influenza vaccine, in this fall, compared to 45 percent of U.S. adults got vaccinated during the 2018-19 influenza season.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC recommends that everyone over 6 months of age get a flu shot to help protect themselves and their communities from vaccine-preventable illnesses.

Walgreens said it provides flu immunizations for anyone over the age of 4 and age restrictions vary based on state regulations. The flu shot is free, no cost to the patients, who are covered under any insurance scheme.