Hospitals begin roll out of free flu shots

| 16/10/2014

(CNS): The Cayman Islands Hospital on Grand Cayman, the Faith hospital on Cayman Brac and the district health centres will be offering seasonal flu vaccines from Monday, 20 October. Director of Primary Health Care, Dr Kiran Kumar said the shots will protect against the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu as well. The flu vaccine is free to all residents and no appointments are needed but the public should indicate to the registration officer at the clinic that they need to have the flu shot. “We recommend that people get vaccinated as soon as possible and definitely before the peak of the flu season which ranges between December and January,” Dr Kumar said.

The vaccine is only effective for one season and babies 6 months and older should get the flu vaccine and it is especially important for people at high risk for complications frominfluenza and those who live with or care for them, are vaccinated early each year. High-risk persons include young children 6 months to four years of age, but especially those under two years, pregnant women, people 50 years of age and older. Anyone with a weakened immune systems and those with chronic medical conditions such as heart, kidney and lung diseases, diabetes and the obese should all be vaccinated as well as those living in nursing homes or long term care facilities.

To minimize workplace disruption and ensure that as many persons as possible get vaccinated, Dr Kumar said the Public Health Department will continue the onsite workplace vaccination initiative for companies with twenty or more employees wishing to have the vaccine, 

“As we have to schedule the visits to worksites with current staff that have regular duties, the visits cannot be done immediately,” said Dr Kumar as he asked employers to schedule the visits. “While we offer the vaccine at no cost, we are proposing to utilize off duty staff or retired nurses to participate in the flu vaccine programme at workplaces to administer the vaccine as soon as possible for companies willing to contribute $200 per session.

“Companies that do not wish  to make arrangements for immediate flu vaccine coverage for their employees may get it in late November or December as the visits will be scheduled when employed staff time is available” he added. 
Companies interested in the program should contact the Public Health Department at 244-2648 to register.

The flu vaccine will be available at: The General Practice Clinic at the Cayman Islands Hospital, Faith Hospital in Cayman Brac and all District Health Centres, from 2:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Little Cayman Clinic: Residents of Little Cayman should contact the clinic to make arrangements. To meet the demand in the initial period, the flu shot will also be available at the Cayman Islands Hospital Atrium (next to the Pharmacy) from October 20th to October -31st  2014 from 10am – noon on weekdays. Flu Shots will also be available at CayShop 2014, October 30 to November 1 at the Arc Cayman Bay.

See more information about the flu vaccine below

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Category: Health

About the Author ()

Comments (28)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Anonymous says:

    OMG….you people! I have to pay $39.99 for a flu shot! I wish I could go somewhere and get a flu shot for free.

    • Anonymous says:

      Who's paying for all of these "free" shots but us, albeit indirectly through other fees.  As we are all required by law to have health insurance (which as we all know is not cheap here and already includes an indigent fee) this should be a chargeable shot and we should individually be responsible for only 20% of the cost if we choose to get one.  If not we are all responsible for 100% of the cost for everyone who goes and gets it done simply because it is "free".

  2. peter milburn says:

    If indeed the Speaker of the House has travelled to Cambodia its not the fact that she is there its where she passes through on the way back that would have me VERY concerned.It amazes me the contunued wasting of public funds to make these so called trips and FOR WHAT REASON?

  3. Anonymous says:

    Should healthy people not in any of the high risk groups go ahead and get the shot, or wait until a large proportion of those in the at-risk group get theirs?

    • Anonymous says:

      Interesting question. I've always assumed, since I've never heard fo them 'running out', that there is no reason to wait. That they just push the high-risk categoreis because they are high risk. But, I don't know and you do raise an interesting question.

  4. anon says:

    Thank you for the free flu shot. It sure beats the contracting the virus and contending with the high cost and wait time at A&E.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Dr. Kumar. . I think you need forget about giving us a flu shot… I am not sure why CNS, yourself and or any other new agency has addressed this issue, but our current speaker of the house “Ju Ju” is current in Cambodia only 200 miles away from Liberia were Abola is a massive problem…
    I personally think with such a small community (GRAND CAYMAN) on her return she should be put into her hotel in the brac for observation.

    • anon says:

      I don't mean to push this further off topic, but why Cambodia? How does her going there (on duty I'm assuming?) benefit Cayman?

      • Anonymous says:

        more to the point Camodia is in South East Asia, no where near Africa, especially west African where Liberia is, get a globe and study it

        • Anonymous says:

          She went to Cameroon not Cambodia.  She seems to have a thing for Africa.  Every minute she's off to some part of Africa.

      • Anonymous says:

        Why Cambodia?  Sit for hours searching the Internet for something going on in far off lands that might be an excuse for travel, then pick the farthest one. You pick, we pay.

      • Anonymous says:

        What is the hell is the Speaker going to Cambodia for?  What does that have to do with benefiting Caymanians?  Mr Premier you need to control Julie.  Better yet, why don't we just leave her in Cambodia????

      • People's Front of Judea says:

        Cameroon, Cambodia… what's the difference? They're both countries with a bunch of foreigners who mean Cayman no good.

      • Anonymous says:

        If only there was a vaccine for being STUPID!

        • Anonymous says:

          I just read today that researchers have found out that some people have a bacteria which makes them stupid!!! I am sure quite a few people cmmentng here have ben ineced wth that bacteira!!

    • Anonymous says:

      I completely agree with you or maybe we can also impose a  travel ban and let Africa keep her. We do not want to hear about  what Dr. Kumar is doing about the flu (the shots don't help anyway)!!! We want to know what procedures are being taken to deal with Ebola should it arrive here!!!! The hospital employees, airlines and hotel employees are all at risk and we want to know WTH is government's response????

      • Anonymous says:

        So let me see if I understand what you are saying.   We should stop treating or preventing all deseases except ebola.  We should not give any shots that prevent anyother deseases?  I would suggest that is not a good plan.

    • Anonymous says:

      Do you reckon it is tough going through life being this stupid, or do you think the poster lives in blissful ignorance?

    • anonymous says:

      I have travelled many miles and worked in many countries to get to this point in life.

      In all my time, I personally guaranteed that I have not seen anything as stupid and uninformed as this comment.

       

    • Anonymous says:

      Cambodia is a damn sight farther away from Liberia than 200 miles! Cameroon perhaps?

    • Anonymous says:

      All the politicians should be put into isolation and quarantine for observation:)

  6. Anonymous says:

    Here we go again, Kumar with his free vaccines. Go away, please.

    • Anonymous says:

      Damned if you, damned if you dont.  Nobody is asking you take the flu shot; if you dont want it that is your business, but there are hundres of sensible persons in the community who are very delighted to hear that the vaccine is here.

      • Anonymous says:

        Listen up, smarty pants. Remember when Piers Morgan took the shot on his CNN show and then a few days later was struck down with a dose of flu?

        Fawning syncophants like you give common sense a bad name. Some people are very healthy because they choose to live healthy lives and as such they refuse quackery.

        So if you want your vaccine, go ahead and line up, but leave the rest of us alone. If the vaccine works, then you will be safe and all of us non-believers will die. Go ahead, make my day.