Cape Cod Clinic Aims To Minimize Flu's Impact During Pandemic
SANDWICH (CBS) - Today in Sandwich, it was drive up, roll up your sleeve, get a flu shot and drive off...if you were 65 or older.
Dot and Al Niccolazzo were there. "We come every year," said Dot Niccolazzo.
"Especially now with the COVID-19, you can't take any chances," said Al Niccolazzo.
Health officials nationwide are pushing people to get the flu shot this year. They fear a second surge of COVID, combined with seasonal flu, could spell disaster for our health care system.
"If you were to get COVID and the flu at the same time, or if you were to be recovering from COVID, and we know that can take weeks or months sometimes, and get the flu on top of that, that can be a really bad and dangerous situation," said Dr. Shira Doron of Tufts Medical Center.
"We want to keep the numbers of ill people down in the hospitals, so we want to keep the flu people out," said Dave Mason, the town's health agent.
The fire chief of Sandwich has a master's degree in infectious diseases. The drive-up flu clinic was his design.
"Between the mask-wearing, social distancing and, like here today, people getting the flu vaccine, which is voluntary, but if they get it -- those three things together hopefully will minimize the impact of the flu, and we'll have a better flu season this year," said Fire Chief JJ Burke.
The clinic expected to administer over 400 flu vaccines today.