Toronto launches free flu shot clinics Thursday
Posted October 31, 2013 7:37 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto Public Health will open its free flu shot clinics on Thursday and they’ll continue until the end of January.
The city recommends that everyone – from children 6 months of age to the elderly – should get the shot annually, as the flu virus changes each fall.
On Thursday, the city will open a clinic at the Atrium on Bay, at 595 Bay St. near Dundas Street. It will run from 11 a.m. to 5 a.m.
On Friday, clinics will open at the Atrium and at Centerpoint Mall, at 6600 Yonge St. near Steeles Avenue.
Click here for other Toronto dates and locations.
If you’re outside Toronto, Ontario’s Ministry of Health offers a search engine that tracks down the nearest clinic based on your address or closest intersection.
Last year, the city saw a spike in flu cases. Between Sept. 1 and Dec. 29, 2012, Toronto Public Health recorded 449 confirmed cases of the flu, more than double the average of 188 cases over the last decade.
While 14 per cent of those who got the flu this season had been vaccinated, officials continue to urge people to get their flu shot.
Across the country, there were more than 3,000 confirmed cases of influenza as of Dec. 15 2012, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
There are other ways to cut your risk of getting sick. Toronto Public Health recommends frequent and thorough hand washing, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue or sleeve and staying at home when you are feeling ill.
Will you be getting the flu shot? Let us know in the comments.
