Calendars fill up quickly this time of year. Between work, errands, holiday plans and travel, a flu shot can easily become something to get around to later.
Finding a convenient time may be easier than it seems. Participating CVS Pharmacy locations offer evening and weekend appointments, subject to availability, and families can schedule flu shot appointments for up to four people, making it possible to fit vaccination into an existing routine or take care of several appointments in one trip.
Instead of waiting for a completely free day, the key may simply be finding a window that works with what's already on the calendar.
A busy schedule can make a simple task easy to postpone.
When the calendar is packed, even straightforward tasks can keep getting pushed to the following week.
Someone may be juggling work, appointments, errands, family commitments and plans with friends. Add holiday preparations or upcoming travel, and finding a convenient time for a flu shot can feel like one more thing to coordinate.
For those eligible to receive a flu vaccine, vaccination remains important throughout flu season. And if someone didn't get vaccinated earlier in the season, it isn't necessarily too late. Vaccination can continue later in the season while flu viruses are circulating.
Putting an appointment on the calendar can help keep a flu shot from becoming another task that gets pushed off again.
A flu shot doesn't need its own day.
Getting vaccinated doesn't necessarily mean carving out an entire afternoon.
Someone who's already planning to pick up a prescription, run errands or stop near a pharmacy may be able to fit a flu shot into the same outing. An evening or weekend appointment may work better for someone whose weekdays are already full.
Instead of searching for the perfect free day, it can be easier to look at what's already on the calendar and find a window that works.
One appointment can make things easier for the whole family.
Coordinating one person's schedule can be tricky enough. Coordinating several can make separate appointments even harder to manage.
At CVS Pharmacy, customers can schedule flu shot appointments for up to four people, making it easier for eligible family members to get vaccinated in one trip. That can be especially helpful when calendars are already filled with holiday gatherings, travel plans and other commitments.
Older adults, pregnant people and people with certain chronic medical conditions are among those who may face a greater risk of serious flu complications.
Taking care of several appointments at once can make vaccination a little easier to manage during an already busy season.
A flu shot may help keep holiday plans on track.
Holiday gatherings, travel and other seasonal plans can take weeks to coordinate. Getting sick can mean missed work, canceled activities, changed travel plans and time away from family and friends.
While flu vaccines don't prevent every case, vaccination may reduce the risk of getting sick with flu and may also reduce the severity of illness and the risk of serious complications.
Getting vaccinated may also help protect the people around someone. Influenza viruses may be detected beginning about one day before symptoms develop, which means someone can feel well enough to go to work, run errands, travel or spend time with family and friends while unknowingly carrying the virus.
With holiday gatherings, trips and other important plans on the calendar, getting vaccinated is one preventive step people can take to help protect themselves and maybe those around them — and reduce the chances of flu disrupting the season.
Making a flu shot part of a busy routine.
Between work, errands, holiday plans and everything else competing for time, there may never be a perfectly convenient day for another appointment. But a flu shot doesn't have to take over the schedule.
Building vaccination into an existing errand, choosing an evening or weekend appointment or scheduling several family members together can make it easier to get it done — especially before upcoming travel, holiday gatherings and other seasonal plans.
Anyone with questions about vaccination, a medical condition, previous vaccine reactions or the type of flu vaccine that may be appropriate should speak with a health care provider.
CVS Pharmacy can help make vaccination easier to fit into a busy schedule by offering:
With travel, gatherings and other holiday plans approaching, scheduling a flu shot now can help keep vaccination from becoming another last-minute task.
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