The thousands of Tarrant County residents who don’t have health insurance will be able to get a free flu shot this year from more than 50 participating pharmacies.
The program makes flu shots available for free to any uninsured county resident through a partnership between the pharmacies and Tarrant County Public Health.
Annual vaccination rates against seasonal influenza are typically very low, despite the fact the flu infects and kills thousands of people in an average year. This year’s flu season could be worse, experts have warned, because many people have stopped wearing masks and avoiding large crowds, two measures that contributed to last year’s unusually quiet flu season.
Unlike childhood vaccinations, which are easily accessible for free to children regardless of their ability to pay, or the COVID-19 vaccine, which is free for everyone, the flu vaccine usually costs about $25 for people who don’t have health insurance.
In Texas, that means a $25 cost to get vaccinated against seasonal influenza for more than 5 million people in the state. Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the country, with about 18% of Texans lacking health insurance, according to census data.
Experts recommend that everyone 6 months and older get the flu shot every year. The flu shot is especially important for people 65 years and older, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated against the flu before the end of October. In the US, flu season usually peaks between December and March.
You can find a list of participating pharmacies below, or you visit tarrantcounty.com/freefluvaccine.
