News

With flu season quickly approaching, Ashtabula County Medical Center now offers flu vaccines for adults and children. Special flu vaccines clinics are planned through the next two weeks at the following locations:

Ashtabula Express Care

• Thursday, Sept. 26 – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 2 – 1 to 5 p.m.

Jefferson Express Care

• Friday, Oct.11 – Noon to 4 p.m.

Pediatrics (The Ashtabula Clinic, 4^th floor)

• Tuesday, Oct. 1 – 1 to 4 p.m.

Those who cannot make one of these dates can walk into any ACMC Family Health Center (Ashtabula, Conneaut, Geneva, or Jefferson) to obtain a flu shot.

Patients whose insurance covers flu shots will pay nothing, but their insurance will be billed $122. For those who are self-insured, the cost is $40 for a high-dose vaccine and $25 for low-dose vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends anyone over the age of six months old receive a flu shot annually. Flu shots can reduce the amount of time missed from work or school due to flu-related illness and reduce the number of visits you need to make to a medical provider.

Flu symptoms include fever, headaches and body aches, chills, congestion, and coughs. It usually last 5 to 7 days and is contagious, which means it spreads easily from person to person. Infants, children with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, senior citizens, and adults who have chronic lung problems can suffer more from flu symptoms and may require hospitalization. This is why it is important that family members and other caregivers have the flu vaccine, too.

To minimize the risk of spreading the flu, ACMC physicians recommend that people wash their hands frequently during cold and flu season (October through May); cough into your arm or elbow; and stay home from work or school to limit exposure of others.

All ACMC flu vaccination clinic dates are posted at https://www.acmchealth.org/services/seasonal-health-issues/ and any date or time changes will be noted there.