Health officials urge Philly residents to get vaccinated amid rise in cases, hospitalizations
People do not need to make appointments and do not need to be existing patients at the centers to get the shots, which are free for Philadelphia residents, regardless of insurance status. People must provide proof of residency, which can include a utility bill in their name.
“Now is the time,” said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson. “If you get your flu shot and COVID vaccines now, you’ll be protected for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays.”
Public health officials are urging people to get immunized this year after seeing a significant number of cases and hospitalizations during the last two winters. National data shows that less than half of the population received a flu vaccine last year.
To increase vaccine uptake, doctors say there needs to be more education and awareness about the safety of the shots, and they need to normalize expected side effects.
“You can’t get the flu from getting a flu shot,” Gebreselassie said. “Many people will have no side effects at all, but some people can experience mild temporary soreness and redness at the injection sites, fatigue, headache, muscle aches and low-grade fevers. But overall, flu vaccines are safe and effective.”
When a person does get vaccinated, they are not only protecting themselves from severe disease, but are lessening the chances that they will spread large amounts of the virus to vulnerable people around them, said Raval-Nelson.
“That infant or that 72-year-old grandmother. It’s the person going through chemotherapy. It’s the person that has no immune system,” she said. “Your vaccine protects you, and that’s great, but your vaccine protects them and everyone else around you.”