Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — With flu activity on the rise, the Salt Lake County Health Department is trying to protect the most vulnerable.
Nurses gave out roughly 500 free flu shots Thursday to the uninsured and homeless at the Salt Lake City Main Library downtown.
Billie Carr, a former jazz pianist who wore a cowboy hat and broken glasses, described himself as "semi-homeless." He took advantage of the free flu shot, because a combination of other chronic illnesses puts him at greater risk of deadly flu, he said.
"Sometimes I do sleep outside, and I'm not going to take the chance," Carr said. "I could die from it. I've got COPD, emphysema, my blood pressure's through the roof."
This is the first time the county health department has hosted a free flu shot clinic, according to Salt Lake County Health Department district manager James Bond. He said the event was made possible thanks to a donation of 1,000 flu shots from SelectHealth.
"This community has more barriers to access to everyday, regular, preventive health care," Bond said. "This is an opportunity for us to provide this for them. A lot don't have primary care physicians."
Shawna Chestakov and her brother, Jimmy Lehew, also received flu shots Thursday. Both said they could not have afforded them otherwise.
Times have been tough ever since Chestakov's job at a fast food restaurant was cut from 40 hours a week to about 20.
"There's no employment here," Lehew said.
According to experts, the 2015-16 flu season has been milder than past years, but infections are starting to spike. Salt Lake County flu activity increased significantly in February, according to county health department spokeswoman Pam Davenport.
To date, 117 people have been hospitalized and two people have died from complications due to influenza, Davenport said.
Davenport said the first person to die was over the age of 65 and did not receive the vaccine.
The second person had several other health issues in addition to influenza, Salt Lake County Health Department spokesman Nicholas Rupp said.
Across the state, 226 people have been hospitalized due to the flu as of Feb. 13 — 46 of them in the past week, according to the most recent Utah Department of Health data available.
Forty-one percent of the patients were adults 65 and older, according to the report.
Experts encourage everyone to get the flu vaccine, particularly young children and older adults.
Health insurance companies cover flu shots for free as preventive care under President Barack Obama's health care law.
Many clinics also offer low-cost flu shots to the uninsured. Flu vaccines run about $32 to $48 at local health departments, depending on the type of shot.
Pharmacies at Costco, Smith's, CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid charge between $15 and $40.
