Malta is excited to once again be partnering with Optum to provide Malta patients (and anyone else who is uninsured or under-insured) FREE Flu Vaccines this fall!

Clinics are scheduled for:

Wednesday, September 21st
10am-2pm
Malta House of Care Clinic
136 Farmington Avenue, Hartford

Thursday, September 29th
12pm-3:30pm
St. Augustine Church
10 Campfield Avenue, Hartford

Monday, October 3rd
10am-2pm
St. Rose Church
33 Church Street, East Hartford

Call us at 860-725-0171 or visit the clinic to sign up!


Information from Optum Care about the Flu Shot and Covid 19 from their website.

An Optum Care patient asks her doctor if she needs to get a flu shot this year. She’s still staying away from public places because of COVID-19. Learn why this year it’s so important to get your flu shot.

Question:

I hate shots. I heard that the flu shot doesn’t always keep you from getting flu. I also don’t want to go out in public if I don’t have to. Should I get the flu shot this year?

Answer:

Some people are ready to go out in public again. Others still work from home and don’t want to visit a clinic or pharmacy to get a flu shot.

Ask your local Optum clinic about how you can get your flu shot this year. Clinics follow strict rules for social distancing and cleaning. But they may also offer other safe ways to get your flu shot.

We’re always looking for other safe ways to give flu shots. We’re working with experts from:

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • State and local health departments

But this year, like every year, it’s important to get your flu shot any way you can. It won’t keep you safe from COVID-19. But it can lower your chances of getting the flu.

And if you still get the flu, a flu shot can help your body fight the illness so you don’t need hospital care. It could even safe your life.

We also suggest you get a flu shot and a COVID-19 vaccine. Neither shot will keep you safe from the other illness.

The CDC recommends getting a flu shot before viruses start spreading in your community this fall. Plan ahead, because it takes about two weeks after getting the shot for antibodies to develop. The antibodies help protect you from getting the flu.

Everyone 6 months of age and older, except those with some illnesses, should get a flu shot every year. To learn how to get your flu shot, call your doctor’s office.

In health,
Efrem Castillo, MD
Senior Medical Director, Optum