KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Health leaders say they start seeing flu cases in late September and early October. They say it's smart to go ahead and take action.
The vaccine is available and ready.
"Get yourself protected before it gets here," said Dena Mashburn, Director of Nursing with the Knox County Health Department. "We aren't seeing too many cases right now, and we are hoping as people wear their mask we will see less of the flu this year, but there is no guarantee of that. We don't want to have the flu on top of COVID."
Starting Wednesday, the health department is offering shots by appointment at specific locations. They will also be hosting public walk-in clinics starting in October.
They've spread out walk-in clinic locations to reach as many different communities as possible and make the vaccine accessible. You do not have to have insurance, the vaccination is free at these clinics.
There will be pods set up, with nurses wearing full protection, as if they were in a COVID-19 testing environment.
Both the flu shot and the nasal spray will be available.
Walk-in clinics are scheduled for after school hours so parents and kids can go together, which is especially important since the health department will not be traveling to schools to do clinics this year.
With the vaccine not being given in Knox County Schools this year, the health department will be working with school leaders to send notifications out to let parents know their options.
The notifications will also be translated for non-English speaking families to get the information they need.
If you can't make it to one of the clinic events or health department, a number of other providers are offering vaccines.
RELATED: Kroger expands in-store flu shot program with new digital tools to encourage social distancing
Kroger, Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Target and Publix are offering in-store flu shots at certain locations. Most insurance providers will cover the cost of flu shots at these location.
After getting your flu shot, you can further protect yourself by following the five core actions.
"The five core actions we are constantly talking about for COVID are important for flu too," Mashburn said. "It's spread in a very similar way, protecting yourself by keeping a mask on, cleaning surfaces and staying a distance from people really will protect you."