The Liberty Health Department is now offering the flu vaccine. Flu shots will be available by appointment during regular hours of operation, Monday through Friday. Residents can call the health department at 912-876-2173 to schedule an appointment.

The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone over six months of age. Vaccination is particularly important for those at high risk of complications from flu, including adults 65 and older, children younger than five, pregnant women, and people with chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes. It takes about two weeks after getting a flu shot for the vaccine to provide the body protection against the flu.

Flu vaccines and COVID-19 vaccines can be given at the same time. Preventive measures like washing your hands and wearing a mask can also help prevent the spread of influenza and COVID-19.

“Flu season is always unpredictable, but maybe even more so this year,” said District Health Director, Dr. Lawton Davis. “We had little to no flu season at all in 2020, likely because of all the precautions we were taking to prevent COVID. That means we don’t really know what an active flu season combined with widely circulating COVID-19 will look like, but it has the potential to be very, very serious. Please get vaccinated against COVID and flu.”

To get more information on the flu or to download the vaccine consent form ahead of time, please visit gachd.org.