Senior flu shots?

Are there any pharmacies or other providers in or near SOMA offering the senior dose flu shots?


The Flu Clinic is a drive-thru at Maplewood town hall on October 15 from 9 - 1.


sac said:

Are there any pharmacies or other providers in or near SOMA offering the senior dose flu shots?

Got ours at South Orange Walgreen's on Tuesday!  Their website let's you schedule but they said you could just walk in!


I think the chains pretty much all offer it; it is essentially automatic if you make your appointment online because they know your date of birth. I got mine at the CVS on Valley Street. The CVS in Target also gives it, as does the Walgreens on Springfield Avenue in Maplewood.


galileo said:

The Flu Clinic is a drive-thru at Maplewood town hall on October 15 from 9 - 1.

They will not have the stronger senior dose this year according to our health officer.  
For the senior dose, a pharmacy is your best bet.



joan_crystal said:

galileo said:

The Flu Clinic is a drive-thru at Maplewood town hall on October 15 from 9 - 1.

They will not have the stronger senior dose this year according to our health officer.  
For the senior dose, a pharmacy is your best bet.

I don't understand why the town never has them ... sigh!


Bluehouse1 said:

I think the chains pretty much all offer it; it is essentially automatic if you make your appointment online because they know your date of birth. I got mine at the CVS on Valley Street. The CVS in Target also gives it, as does the Walgreens on Springfield Avenue in Maplewood.

CVS is our usual pharmacy, but when I went to their website today to make an appointment the search did not come up with any nearby with the senior dose.  


It is Fluzone High-Dose. It was given yesterday at the Target CVS in Vauxhall. It is free with Medicare. In my experience over the last ten years or so, Fluzone is readily available at at CVS and Walgreens. 


sac said:

I don't understand why the town never has them ... sigh!

The Seniors Advisory Committee has raised that very question at a recent meeting.  The answer seems to be that the clinic serves town employees as well as seniors and the town finds it easier to offer a single strength of vaccine.  We are working to try and convince them to offer a senior dose option next year.  If they do this, they may require advance registration for the senior dose so they know how much to order.  My advice would be to have as many seniors as possible contact the health department (Maplewood is the town we are discussing here) and ask for the senior dose.  The greater the demand, the more likely they are to do this.


Just to be clear - we should ask for a senior dose? This is not well publicized.


drummerboy said:

Just to be clear - we should ask for a senior dose? This is not well publicized.

Apparently it is automatic in many cases, based your date of birth which you have to provide when registering.  But some pharmacy websites (perhaps not accurately?) are reporting that they don't have it in stock.


drummerboy said:

Just to be clear - we should ask for a senior dose? This is not well publicized.

If this is in reply to my post directly above yours, it refers specifically to showing the Maplewood Health Department the level of demand for them offering a senior dose option at the town’s annual flu vaccination clinic for town employees and town residents.  If this is in reply to the more general discussion of the availability of a senior dose at local pharmacies, it pays to specify which vaccine you want when making your appointment so you can be sure of getting the strength of vaccine you want.



You can walk into any pharmacy, most supermarkets, Target, Walmart, Sam's Club, Costco to get a flu shot. Free for seniors. I don't understand the need for the health department to also give flu shots.


Getting the shot from the health department is super convenient if you don't have a conflict that day: drive up, give them your information, get shot while sitting in your car.  No need for scheduling an appointment in advance.


Too bad the health department won't have the senior version. (Getting senior spouse to agree to schedule in advance is a huge challenge. He appreciates the township's service).


Spouse and I got our shots today at the Vauxhall Walgreen's.  And they did have the Senior dose.  The issue I had with CVS may have just been a website problem based on others saying that they got it at CVS in the last day or two.


Went to the town clinic last year, they were ready to give me a dose, but when I asked for the senior dosage, they said they could not.  Ripped up my paperwork and drove away.

They have given me the senior dosage in previous years, but not now.  Why not now?  Phoey on our health department.


krnl said:

Getting the shot from the health department is super convenient if you don't have a conflict that day: drive up, give them your information, get shot while sitting in your car.  No need for scheduling an appointment in advance.


Too bad the health department won't have the senior version. (Getting senior spouse to agree to schedule in advance is a huge challenge. He appreciates the township's service).

health department vax is excellent.


you don’t even needto get out’a your car.


mrmaplewood said:

Went to the town clinic last year, they were ready to give me a dose, but when I asked for the senior dosage, they said they could not.  Ripped up my paperwork and drove away.

They have given me the senior dosage in previous years, but not now.  Why not now?  Phoey on our health department.

I volunteered at the town clinic for several years pre COVID.  They never had the senior dose.  Hopefully that will change.


Some years ago I tried going to CVS for a flu shot.  They wanted to make x-copies of all my documents including driver license.  I refused and leeft.  Do pharmacies still make copies of ID etc?     For senior shots?

Wheere do you go for shingles vax?

As always THANKS 


Apollo_T said:

Some years ago I tried going to CVS for a flu shot.  They wanted to make x-copies of all my documents including driver license.  I refused and leeft.  Do pharmacies still make copies of ID etc?     For senior shots?

Wheere do you go for shingles vax?

As always THANKS 

Pharmacies need your insurance card and proof of your identity so they know the card is yours. For some vaccines covered by original Medicare, they will also need your Medicare card and your full social security number. This has become standard practice.  They will make copies so they will have the records on file.  They did this at the County COVID vaccine clinic too. 

Walgreens and CVS should have the shingles vaccine.  Call first to determine availability and make an appointment if needed.


I have never been asked to provide drivers license, other than possibly to show it as ID, but not hand it over.  Yesterday at Walgreens, we didn't even have to show them, only the insurance cards.


Joan,  I asked for and they said I received the senior dose.  Forget which year, could it have been when you weren't volunteering?


It could have been or there could have been a miscommunication.  



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