Syracuse, NY — Onondaga County is offering free flu vaccine shots to the public Monday, Oct. 6, during a drive-thru clinic at NBT Bank Stadium.
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Most people will be able to remain in their vehicles. Some with large vehicles may need to pull to a designated area if it is impossible to administer through a window.
Setting up a popup vaccine clinic is a regular exercise conducted by the county health department to practice emergency preparedness, health commissioner Dr. Kathryn Anderson said. Some years, it’s at the fairgrounds. This year, it’s at the Mets’ stadium on the city’s North Side.
The drill predates the Covid pandemic, but has traditionally only served first responders.
This year, the department decided to open it up to the public.
“It’s a training exercise with a public benefit,” Anderson said.
A total of 240 doses will be available. After first responders are served, there should be roughly 100 to 150 doses left for public consumption, health department officials said.
People must sign up online to ensure there are enough doses. Those with insurance are asked to fill out a separate form so the county can seek reimbursement.
For health workers, the training exercise takes about three hours to set up. During Covid, the county used its expertise to run a Covid vaccine clinic at the ShoppingTown Mall property. This will be the third popup clinic since the pandemic.
“Emergency preparedness uses drive-thru exercises as an opportunity to train health department personnel and bolster our public health emergency response capacity,” the department said in a statement to syracuse.com.
“Exercising the activities associated with setting up vaccine clinics helps to ensure (the department) has the capacity to set up these clinics on short notice.”