Free drive-through flu clinic at La Luz

Doctors and health officials are urging Americans to get inoculated against influenza to avoid the dangerous collision of flu season with the coronavirus pandemic. Concerned that flu-related illness, which closely mimics symptoms of COVID-19, could overwhelm already taxed hospitals, doctors offices, and medical labs, professionals are advising everyone to get vaccinated now.

To protect Valley residents who might otherwise lack access to this year’s vaccine, La Luz Center, in partnership with Sonoma Valley Hospital, is hosting a no-cost drive-through flu clinic on Friday, Oct. 23.

Vaccines are free and will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, as participants queue in their vehicles in front of La Luz at 17560 Greger St. Participants are requested to wear facial masks, and will remain in their vehicles as medical staff in appropriate PPE administer the vaccine. The clinic runs from 1 to 3 p.m.

“This fall and winter could be one of the most complicated public health times we have, with the two coming at the same time,” Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a recent interview on the JAMA network.

“On the other hand, I’m an optimist. If the American public heeds the advice that we said about face covering and the social distancing and the hand-washing and being smart about crowds, this could be one of the best flu seasons we have had,” Redfield said. “Particularly if they do one more thing, and that is to embrace the flu vaccine with confidence.”