NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With cold and flu season right around the corner, now is the time to prepare yourself and your family with the annual flu shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that while millions of people get the flu, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year. Last year’s flu season was a high-severity season with extraordinary numbers of flu and flu-related complications. Annual flu vaccines are still the best way to protect against flu.
“Your body’s immune response from vaccination decreases over time,” said Chad Sherwood, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Baptist Health Urgent Care, an affiliate of Urgent Team. “To keep your immune system working against the virus, an annual vaccination is necessary because viruses are constantly changing. The virus that went around last year might not be the same as this year’s virus.”
An injectable flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months or older, ideally by the end of October, to protect against the flu and complications that often accompany the virus. It typically takes about two weeks after vaccination for protective antibodies to develop.
Urgent Team has received its supply of vaccines for the Types A and B influenza viruses. Our centers have the Fluzone Quadrivalent for ages 6 months to 64 years of age, as well as the Fluzone High-Dose for adults 65 and up.
In addition to getting a flu vaccination, Baptist Health Urgent Care also encourages taking additional steps to avoid getting sick:
- Get sufficient sleep, eat well, drink a lot of water, exercise and reduce stress.
- Stay home if you are sick to avoid spreading the virus (until you are fever- and symptom-free for 24 hours).
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
- Regularly clean often-used surfaces in your home, such as countertops and bathrooms.
- Wash hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to avoid spreading of germs and viruses.
- Avoid close proximity to sick family, friends and co-workers.
- Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth.
Baptist Health Urgent Care centers offer convenient access – including walk-in, after-hours and weekend availability – to flu vaccinations, cold and flu treatment and more for on-the-go families. In addition, most urgent care centers are equipped to provide a wide variety of on-the-spot services for most minor illnesses and injuries – along with seasonal needs such as physicals – when families need it most.
About Baptist Health Urgent Care
Baptist Health Urgent Care is an affiliate of Urgent Team, one of the largest independent operators of urgent and family care centers in the Southeast. The Urgent Team Family of Centers provides quality and affordable family health care at 41 locations under four brands: Baptist Health Urgent Care (five centers in Arkansas); Sherwood Urgent Care (nine centers throughout Arkansas); Urgent Team (18 centers throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee); and Physicians Care (nine locations in Tennessee). Baptist Health Urgent Care’s convenient, walk-in centers provide a range of health care services including treatments for injuries and illnesses, occupational health and wellness care. Urgent Team’s company headquarters are located in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, visit UrgentCareBaptistHealth.com.