Rockland Offers Flu Vaccine Clinics Over Next 4 Weeks

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Flu clinics will be held across Rockland County during the rest of October and beginning of November, health officials announced.

Several clinics are for residents age 65 and above.

Three are for everyone 6 months and older. Those will be held:

• Oct. 22: 10 a.m. to noon, 1-4 p.m. at the Robert L. Yeager Health Center, Building A (50 Sanatorium Road, Pomona 10970)
• Oct. 24: 1-3 p.m. at the Palisades Center in West Nyack, on the first floor in front of H&M
• Nov. 14: 1-3 p.m. at the Palisades Center, on the first floor, Kay Jewelers Court near Best Buy

The vaccine is free of charge if you:

• are 65 years and older (please bring identification with proof of age)
• have Medicare or Medicaid (please bring your card)
• are uninsured or underinsured

There is a $20 fee for those with private insurance who are 6 months through 64 years old: cash or check accepted. For those with private health insurance, the county will provide you with a receipt to submit to your health insurance for possible reimbursement. To make the process quicker, please visit http://rcklnd.us/flu, fill out the top two fillable portions of the 2021-2022 FLU VACCINE FORM, and print and bring the completed form with you.

The Health Department is giving the quadrivalent flu vaccine, which does not contain preservatives, including thimerosal. The vaccine is called quadrivalent because it offers protection against four different flu virus strains that research shows will be most common during this flu season: two influenza (flu) A virus strains and two influenza B virus strains. It is recommended that you wait for 15 minutes after being vaccinated to be observed for any reaction.

For ages 65 and up only, flu vaccine clinics have been coordinated by the Health Department, along with the Rockland County Office for the Aging and Montefiore Nyack Hospital. The quadrivalent flu vaccine (not the high-dose flu vaccine for seniors) is offered free of charge.

Street Community Center (31 Zukor Road, New City 10956)

• Tuesday, Oct. 19, from 1 - 3 pm
• Thursday, Oct. 28, from 2 - 3:30 pm
• Monday, Nov. 1, from 2- 3:30 pm

Knights of Columbus (Haverstraw Senior Club, 56 West Broad Street, Haverstraw 10927)

• Monday, Oct.25, from 10 am - noon

Pascack Community Center (87 New Clarkstown Road, Nanuet 10954)

• Monday, Oct. 25, from 1 - 3 pm
• Thursday, Oct. 28 from 11:30 am - 1 pm
• Wednesday, Nov. 3 from 1 - 3 pm

Congers Community Center (8 Gilchrest Road, Congers 10920)

• Tuesday, Oct. 26, from 11:30 am - 1 pm
• Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 2 - 3:30 pm

Middlewood Senior Center (80 N. Middletown Road, Nanuet 10954)

• Tuesday, Oct. 26, from 2 - 3:30 pm

St. Francis of Assisi Church (128 Parrott Road, West Nyack 10994)

• Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 11:30 am - 1 pm
• Monday, Nov. 1, from 11:30 am - 1 pm

JCC of Rockland (450 W Nyack Road, West Nyack 10994)

• Friday, Oct. 29, from 10 am - noon

For more information on those community-based clinics for seniors, call Sandra Arevalo at Montefiore Nyack Hospital (845) 348-2876.

"The flu is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes death. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others," County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said in the announcement. "Getting the flu vaccine is the main way to prevent the flu and its complications. With the more contagious COVID-19 Delta variant circulating, preventing a severe flu season from arriving along with the COVID-19 pandemic is even more critical. Flu season usually peaks in January or February and can last until May. Getting your flu shot offers protection through the holidays and for the rest of the flu season."

For more information about the flu and the flu vaccine clinics, visit http://rcklnd.us/flu or call (845) 364-2534.

You can also receive your flu shot at any of the county's scheduled COVID-19 vaccine clinics. The flu vaccine may be taken at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine. In order to receive a flu vaccine, everyone must wear a mask. To make a flu vaccine appointment visit http://rcklnd.us/flu. Walk-ins are welcome and will be registered on-site; however, there may be a wait.

In addition to getting your flu and COVID-19 shot, it is important to continue to follow the CDC's public health prevention measures, such as wearing a mask indoors, staying 6 feet away from others not within your household, washing your hands often, and staying home if sick. These measures will not only help to slow the spread of COVID-19 but also help to reduce flu infections, along with getting your flu shot, county officials said.