PITTSBURGH — Flu shots are now available at the Allegheny County Health Department's walk-in clinic on First Avenue Downtown.
It's early in the season but never early enough for health officials.
Karen Hacker, the director of the Allegheny County Health Department, said it's likely that this year’s flu vaccine will be more effective than last year, but the challenge will be if there are new strains that pop up.
The last flu season was the worst in 40 years.
The CDC announced last week that about 80,000 Americans died, including a record 180 kids.
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About 80 percent of those children did not get vaccinated.
In Allegheny County, there were 31 deaths and about 13,000 sickened.
Children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are the most at risk.
From my perspective, not only are you protecting yourself when you get a flu vaccine, but your also protecting all the people around you,” Hacker said.
She said myths about vaccinations still persist and says putting off the shot is not worth the risk.
“It's not going to give you the flu. Most people who get the flu after being vaccinated were probably exposed before they ever got vaccinated,” Hacker said.