PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway Inc. has begun offering flu shots on a walk-in basis at its in-store pharmacies and through scheduled flu vaccine clinics at most of its other stores.

The food and drug retailer said Thursday that it’s also providing an off-site flu clinic service for businesses, senior centers and nursing homes that want to offer their employees or residents the convenience of receiving a flu immunization where they work or live.

"We have made the process of getting a flu vaccine affordable and convenient," Gary Rocheleau, senior vice president of pharmacy at Safeway, said in a statement. "Individuals have no reason to go unprotected this flu season, nor should businesses risk lost productivity due to a sick workforce."

In the coming weeks, all Safeway pharmacies will be administering a high-dose flu vaccine called Fluzone High-Dose, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in people age 65 and older. The retailer reported that adults over 65 years of age account for 65% of flu-related hospitalizations and 90% of flu-related deaths. Fluzone High-Dose contains the same components as regular-strength flu vaccine but provides a superior immune response in people 65 and older.

The supermarket chain noted that for the upcoming flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging all people 6 months and older to get immunized and that this year’s vaccine protects against the H1N1 virus and two other seasonal flu viruses.

Safeway operates 1,712 stores, including more than 1,300 pharmacies, in the United States and western Canada.