Pima County Opens Free Flu Shot Clinic

TUCSON, AZ — Pima County and Passport Health are partnering to open a free flu shot clinic ahead of what is expected to be a difficult flu season during the coronavirus pandemic.

The clinic will open on Sept. 21 and will be located at 6383 E. 22nd Street, Suite 131.

The clinic will ensure that anyone over the age of four, regardless of insurance status, will be able to get a vaccine this year as the coronavirus pandemic continues, officials said in a news release.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic still very actively spreading in Pima County, it’s crucial to get a flu shot before flu starts circulating widely,” Crystal Rambaud, a registered nurse and the health department's vaccine preventable disease program manager, said in a statement. “As healthcare workers are doing so much to help people recover from COVID-19, we should do everything we can to help prevent further strain on the health care system.”

Rambaud also said that the coronavirus is expected spike again this fall, coinciding with the annual flu season, so the clinic will not turn away anyone wanting the vaccine.

Registering ahead of time is strongly encouraged but walk-in patients will be accepted. The clinic will be open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pima County also provides free flu shots at their East, North, and Theresa Lee Clinics.

While flu shot doesn't erase the possibility of getting sick, it decreases the likelihood of someone getting very sick, having to be hospitalized or even dying.

"The entire community benefits if we all get vaccinated,” Rambaud said.