NEW YORK — Walgreens and Rite Aid have commenced their annual flu shot campaigns, providing consumers with a range of vaccine options and making it easy for people to get immunized against influenza. This season, Walgreens pharmacies and Healthcare Clinics nationwide and Duane Reade pharmacies in New York will offer such flu vaccination choices as a
Late in 2014, we got news that the most prevalent circulating influenza virus strain this season, H3N2 (A/Switzerland/9715293/2013), was antigenically different from the H3N2 strain that was used to produce this year’s flu vaccine. Depending on the source from which one first heard this news, the sentiments ranged from the cynical — “the vaccine is
Widespread media reports that this season’s flu vaccine is less effective have raised concerns among retail pharmacies, who think consumers may be discouraged about getting a flu shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) followed a Dec. 3 health advisory that this season’s flu vaccines could be less effective with another advisory on Jan.
