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Elementary Schoolchildren Can Get Free Flu Shots

A child received a flu vaccine during a drive-through clinic last year.
Greg Boll
/
Genesis
A child received a flu vaccine during a drive-through clinic last year.

Genesis is hosting Flu Free Quad Cities again this year. It hopes to continue a trend from last year, when cases of the flu were few and far between.

Registered Nurse Michele Cullen is the Community Health Manager for Genesis Visiting Nurses. She says the goal is to vaccinate as many elementary school students as possible. That's because they have contact with younger siblings, their parents, and grandparents.

Measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 also caused a dramatic decline in seasonal influenza. But Cullen says Flu-Free Quad Cities was still able to give around 4,000, free vaccinations. And the program will do the same this year.

Greg Boll

Genesis Flu-Free Quad Cities will hold four, family vaccination clinics this month.

  • The first will be held Tuesday, Oct. 12th at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline.
  • Another is scheduled for Monday Oct. 26th, also at the TaxSlayer Center.
  • Drive-through flu vaccination clinics will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 13th at Brady Street Stadium in Davenport, followed by another on Wednesday, Oct. 27th.

The hours for all four clinics will be 3-to-6 pm.
Consent forms are online at genesishealth.com/FluForm.

A press release from Genesis Flu-Free says the CDC reports the number of influenza cases in the US dropped from 38 million during the 2019-2020 flu season to less than 2,100 cases in 2020-2021. And the number of deaths related to the flu dropped from 22,000 to about 750.

The Quad Cities River Bandits and Green State Credit Union help pay for Flu-Free Quad Cities. Information about donating is available at GenesisHealth.com/give.

Officially, Michelle's title for 28 years was WVIK News Editor. She did everything there is to do in the newsroom and whatever was needed around the radio station. She also served as Acting News Director from September 2023 - January 2024.
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