Bashas’ Family of Stores’ grocery locations around the state, including Bashas,’ Food City and AJ’s Fine Foods, will host flu shot services. There will be flu (Quadrivalent) shots, which protect patients against four flu strains, as well as pneumonia shots to help protect people in the long term, depending on the risks, against 23 types of bacterial pneumonia, deadly blood infections and meningitis. The flu (Quadrivalent) shots costs $45 each and the pneumonia shots costs $130 each, but Medicare B and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona cover both types of shots. The flu shots are free for all state of Arizona employees, as well as their spouses and dependents, along with state retirees with Benefit Options coverage.
No appointment is needed to acquire the shots but you should not receive either vaccine if you have ever experienced a serious allergic reaction to eggs or to one or both of the vaccines. If you have a fever or acute respiratory or another active infection or illness you should not get the shots. Those who have a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome also should not obtain the shots.
The CDC recommends everyone six months and older, with rare exceptions, obtains a flu vaccination every year. It said seasonal influenza (flu) viruses are detected year-round in the United States but flu viruses occur more commonly in the fall and winter, with activity often starting to increase in October.
The flu shots will be given from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12 and Friday, Oct. 23 at the Bashas’ at 5555 N. 7th St. Flu and pneumonia shots will be provided from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30 at AJ’s Fine Foods at 5017 N. Central Ave.
To find more times and locations to receive a flu shot, visit healthwaves.com. You also can find locations by visiting the Arizona Department of Health Services at azdhs.gov.
