Press Releases: Northwest
January 25, 2005
Kaiser Permanente to offer flu shots to the general public in Cowlitz County starting Jan. 25
LONGVIEW, Wash. – Kaiser Permanente is offering flu shots to the general public at its Longview-Kelso Medical Office, 1230 7th Avenue in Longview. Starting Tuesday, Jan. 25, the flu shot will be available for $20 to the general public (free to Kaiser Permanente members) on a drop-in basis, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until supplies are exhausted. Kaiser Permanente had been following government restrictions on who could be vaccinated. Those restrictions were lifted earlier this month. More than 90,000 Kaiser Permanente health plan members have been vaccinated so far this season. Yet with demand falling due to milder weather and a slow start to the flu season, Kaiser Permanente still has some flu vaccine on hand in Longview over and above what is needed to protect its own health plan members.
"We've decided to share our remaining vaccine with anyone in Cowlitz County who might not have been able to get a flu shot but still want protection," says Mark Kleinman, MD, medical director for Kaiser Permanente in Longview.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it takes one to two weeks after being vaccinated for antibodies against influenza to develop and provide protection.
"The flu is already here in Washington State but people who haven't yet had the disease can still protect themselves if they get a shot right away," says Dr. Kleinman.
For the most current information about Kaiser Permanente's flu vaccination program, please call 1-800-813-2000 and press 6. Or log onto the Kaiser Permanente Web site at kaiserpermanente.org.
