TOWSON, Md. — No one had to twist Hannah Kelley’s arm to seek a flu shot at the makeshift clinic inside the historic courthouse in Towson on Thursday.
“I know I’ve had the flu before and it’s been really bad,” said Kelley, “and hopefully something like this can help prevent the suffering of getting the flu.”
Watch as top County officials get their flu shots
Baltimore County’s top executive, its top prosecutor and its top doctor also followed suit mindful of the infectious disease caused by influenza viruses that can cause lesser symptoms like fever, a runny nose and a sore throat or something much, much worse.
“In Maryland, last flu season, over 85 thousand Marylanders went to the emergency department for their flu symptoms and over 46 hundred were hospitalized and, unfortunately, 85 died in Maryland,” said Baltimore County Health Officer Dr. Lucy Wilson.
The CDC recommends that everyone six months of age and older get their annual flu shot.
An In Focus look at the best time to get the flu and COVID vaccines
While U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has questioned the ability of the shots to prevent hospitalizations and deaths in the past, he ultimately has endorsed those recommendations, and experts say there are steps you can take in addition to the shot to better protect your health.
“Other ways you can prevent influenza after the shot is stay home if you’re sick,” advised Wilson, “cover your cough, wear a mask if you’re sick, wash your hands and just try to stay healthy in other ways as well.
Here's where you can go to get vaccinated:
Sat., Sept. 27 | 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Drumcastle Government Center, 1st Floor Lobby
6401 York Road, Baltimore, MD 21212
Sat., Sept. 27 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Campfield A.M.E. Church (Rear Parking Lot)
7140 Walnut Ave., Baltimore, MD 21208
Sat., Sept. 27 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Campfield A.M.E. Church (Rear Parking Lot)
7140 Walnut Ave., Baltimore, MD 21208
Wed., Oct. 1 | 5–7 p.m.
Dundalk Health Center (Trailer)
7700 Dunmanway, Baltimore, MD 21222
Sat., Oct. 4 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Iglesias DeDios Hispana
10825 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117
Sun., Oct. 5 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
BANA Community Resource Center
2906 Taylor Avenue, Parkville, MD 21234
