Greene County Public Health is getting ready to make it easy for people to get their influenza vaccine for the winter season. 

A drive-thru flu clinic will be held tomorrow from 3-6:30pm at the Greene County Fairgrounds. Greene County Public Health Director Shelby Cooklin explains how the flu vaccine is decided to protect against which strains every year.

“So the flu vaccine is determined each year by what kind of flu is most prevalent in Australia. So Australia’s winter/flu season is before ours. So they watch that and then make their decisions based on how well the flu went in Australia and then what they chose, and then they think is going to be more prevalent here in the United States.”      

Cooklin recommends the flu show for anyone six months and older. However, she states individuals who are at higher risk of flu are children under five and adults 65 and older, pregnant women, and chronic health conditions, among other situations. She adds that it takes two weeks for the vaccine to take full effect. Appointments for the drive-thru flu clinic are not required, but encouraged. Contact Greene County Public Health at 515-386-3228.