Americans Urged to Get Seasonal Flu Shot

Americans Urged to Get Seasonal Flu Shot

Rhode Island-based pharmacy/retailer CVS has rolled out a new commercial campaign promoting the seasonal flu shot, while Stop & Shop Supermarket is encouraging shoppers make an appointment right away, sweetening the deal by promoting a $5 discount on the shot with a Stop & Shop card (through Oct. 16; discount does not apply to flu shots billed to 3rd party insurance plans).

A Look Ahead

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) suggests everyone over 6 months of age should get a flu vaccine this fall. While flu is unpredictable, the CDC conceded, it’s likely that 2009 H1N1 viruses and regular seasonal viruses will cause illness in the U.S. this flu season. According to the CDC, the 2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against three different flu viruses: an H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the H1N1 virus that caused widespread illness last season.