The Tulsa Health Department currently offers seasonal flu vaccinations by appointment at four locations in the Tulsa area, including the Sand Springs Health Center.
New this year is the high-dose vaccine recommended for everyone over the age of 65.
Influenza vaccine is recommended for everyone over the age of 6 months.
Health officials remind residents that getting the flu vaccine every year is the single best way to prevent influenza. It can prevent you from becoming seriously ill and from spreading the virus to others.
The more people who get vaccinated, the more people, including the elderly, very young children, pregnant women, and people with certain long-term health conditions who are prone to serious flu complications. People are protected from influenza.
People are also reading…
“We want to do everything we can to prevent flu-related hospitalizations and deaths in Tulsa County,” said Priscilla Haynes, director of the Tulsa Department of Health’s Preventive Health Division.
“During last flu season, Tulsa County residents experienced 266 flu-related hospitalizations and two flu-related deaths,” she said in a press release. “By taking steps to prevent the flu, our healthcare system will have more room to focus its efforts and treat all diseases, including COVID-19.”
The quadrivalent flu vaccine is available by appointment at the following Tulsa Health Department locations:
• Sand Springs Health Center, 306 E. Broadway St.
• Tulsa’s Central Regional Health Center, 315 S. Utica Ave.
• North Regional Health and Wellness Center, 5635 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Tulsa.
• James O. Goodwin Health Center, 5051 S. 129th East Ave. Tulsa
Call 918-582-9355 or online tulsa-health.org/flu Book any location. Clients seeking clinical services are required to wear masks.
The influenza vaccine can be co-administered with the COVID-19 vaccine. Like any medicine, vaccines can cause side effects. Side effects of the flu vaccine are generally mild and go away on their own within a few days.
Most people do not have to pay for vaccines out of their own pocket. The following options are available:
Anyone under the age of 18 who is eligible for Medicaid, has no insurance, is a Native American or Alaskan Native, or if their policy does not cover vaccines, is free through the Children’s Vaccines Program. I am eligible to receive the vaccine.
The Tulsa Health Department accepts Medicare and SoonerCare Medicaid, Cigna, Community Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Health Choice for immunizations.
Coverage may vary by insurance plan. Please bring your insurance card and photo ID.
A typical injectable flu vaccine costs $25. A high-dose flu shot costs $63.
Adults without eligible insurance may be waived for routine flu vaccine costs.
In addition to getting a flu shot, the Tulsa Health Department offers the following prevention tips:
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to public places and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
• When outside your home, keep 6 feet between you and anyone you don’t live with.
• Wear a mask in public during times of high COVID-19 community-level risk, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, according to the CDC COVID Data Tracker.
• Stay home from work, school, and other public places if you are sick. Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Practice good ‘respiratory hygiene’, such as covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, throwing it away and washing your hands. If tissues are not readily available, use your sleeve instead of your hands.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.
• Be aware of symptoms. Watch out for fever, cough, shortness of breath, and other symptoms of respiratory illness, and take your temperature if you develop symptoms. If you have symptoms, contact your healthcare provider for advice.
For more information, call 918-582-9355 or go online at tulsa-health.org/flu.
Osage County: For information on how to get the flu shot in Osage County, call the Osage County Health Department at 918-287-3740.
