‘Protect yourself:’ local pharmacist promotes flu shot

Flu season is here and many flu shot clinics are popping up around the Queen City.

“The big thing is to not only protect yourself from getting the flu, but to prevent the spread to others,” said Andrew Gilbertson, pharmacist and owner of Hill Avenue Drugs.

Gilberston said some people think they shouldn’t get the shot because they haven’t had the flu in a while.

Others might think the vaccine will actually give them the disease itself, but he said that’s really not the case.

“It’s preventive,” he said. “It’s trying to prevent a large outbreak of (the) flu from happening within a certain population or even like the entire province of Saskatchewan.”

Babies as young as six months can get the flu shot

“Within the province publicly funded pharmacy flu vaccines can be given to those over nine years of age,” he said. “Anyone younger than that needs to go through public health to get their flu vaccine.”

Symptoms of the influenza virus include: a sudden fever, chills, coughing, body aches and a headache. But it can be severe enough to require hospitalization and it can be deadly for vulnerable people like the elderly, young children or people with compromised immune systems.

A full schedule of public flu clinic times is available on the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region website. Many pharmacies across Saskatchewan are also offering the flu shot.

Flu shot appointments at Hill Avenue Drugs have already started to fill up. Gilbertson said they book 10 minute appointments to be efficient for the patient at the pharmacy.