It’s time for the family to get flu shots! Seattle Public Schools is holding a series of flu shot clinics for its students. For your children to participate you need to fill in a consent form. The flu vaccine is also available at school-based health centers (for a list of those, check here.)
For other options for getting your kids and you vaccinated, look for information with your health insurance company, or check King County’s Immunization Clinic Finder or the Washington Department of Health Flu Vaccine Finder.
The CDC recommends that everyone over the age of six months should get their shots before the end of October. (If you don’t manage it by then, it’s still a good idea to get a flu shot. The annual Flu season usually peaks around February and lingers well into the spring.) It is important to get flu shots before flu becomes widespread because it takes two weeks after the vaccination for the body to become fully protected.
This year, if your child is 8 or younger, and has had one or no flu shots before, then your child needs a second flu shot at least 28 days after the first one. More information here.
In Washington, vaccines are free for children 18 and younger. The provider might charge an administration fee, but if you can’t afford it, you can ask to have it waived.
