Flu season is getting bad, and some groups are more vulnerable. Here's where to get free flu shots
Daniel Gonzalez
Erika Ruiz doesn't want to catch the flu.
So one recent afternoon she drove to a Maricopa County-sponsored event offering free flu shots, no appointment necessary.
Within a half-hour, Ruiz, 43, had her flu shot, as did her husband, Enrique Lopez and their four children, ages 7 to 17.
"It's free and it's convenient," Ruiz said in Spanish, wearing a black face mask.
It's shaping up to be a bad flu season.
Flu cases are already 10 times higher statewide than this time last year and nearly five times higher than a typical flu season. They are five times higher in Maricopa County. Add in resurgent COVID-19 cases and the season could be doubly bad. Cases of a common virus known as RSV are also sending rising numbers of babies and young children in Arizona to the hospital.
Which is why health officials are urging people to get a flu shot ASAP, along with COVID-19 vaccines.
"Influenza can be a serious disease in certain populations, especially among the very old and the very young and those who have underlying medical conditions," said Dr. Nick Staab, a medical epidemiologist at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
While some people experience flu symptoms similar to a bad cold that can knock them off their feet for a few days or a week, others get sick enough to be hospitalized, or die, Staab said.
The flu vaccine may not prevent infection, "but it will prevent you from being hospitalized or dying," Staab said.
Flu cases 'significantly above' five-year average
Flu season runs from October through March. Protections to prevent the spread of COVID-19 kept down flu cases the past two flu seasons. But a return to large gatherings and not wearing masks has resulted in a spike in flu cases in recent weeks and cases are expected to keep climbing as the flu season goes into full swing, Staab said.
"So far, our flu cases are significantly above our five-year average," he said.
A total of 569 flu cases were confirmed during the first week of November statewide, a 243% increase from the week before, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Of particular concern are people from certain racial and ethnic groups with lower flu vaccination rates and higher hospitalization rates for the flu, including Latinos, African-Americans and Native Americans.
"We have a very large Latino population in Phoenix," said Dr. Stacie Pinderhughes, chief medical officer at Optum Arizona. "In particular for our underserved or minority populations, we want to really make sure that they are getting the message about the importance of vaccines and, why we want people to make sure that they're vaccinated and keep them out of the hospital."
Latinos, who make up one-third of Arizona's population, are 20% more likely to be hospitalized for the flu than white people. Native Americans are 30% more likely. And Black people are 80% more likely to be hospitalized for the flu than white people, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
Latinos, Native Americans and Black people also have lower rates of flu vaccination.
About one in two white people got a flu shot last year, according to the CDC study, compared with 42% for Black people, 41% for Native Americans and 38% for Latinos.
There are several reasons why people of color tend to have lower vaccination rates and higher hospitalization rates for the flu, said Janet Foote. She is an associate professor of public health, translational medicine and epidemiology at the University of Arizona College of Public Health.
Latinos and other people of color, in general, tend to have less access to the flu vaccine due to lack of health insurance or a regular health care provider, she said.
They also are more likely to work in jobs where they are more likely to encounter other people and therefore are more exposed to infection. Or they can't stay home if they do get sick.
"You are talking about a population that if they don't go to work, they don't get paid. It's not like they have sick time for a lot of people," Foote said.
Latinos and other people of color also tend to have higher rates or underlying conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, which can make getting flu more severe, Foote said.
People of color also tend to have higher mistrust of vaccines or of the medical establishment, Foote said.
'We tried to make it accessible'
The inequities in access to flu vaccines have existed for years. But they were highlighted during the pandemic, when people of color also experienced inequitable access to vaccines against COVID-19, Foote said.
To help close inequities in access to vaccines, Maricopa County has expanded a program that provides free vaccines without appointments at community events, including flu and COVID-19 vaccines, said Jhoana Molina, immunization equity manager for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
"We bring vaccines to communities with or without insurance, communities that lack transportation, people with language barriers and people with disabilities. So we tried to make it accessible," Molina said.
She was seated at a table in the cafeteria of St. Vincent De Paul Catholic School on 51st Avenue in Maryvale, a predominantly working-class Latino neighborhood on the west side of Phoenix.
The school is one of the sites where county health officials have been offering free vaccines, including for the flu, COVID-19, hepatitis A and B, shingles, tetanus and pneumococcal.
The free community vaccine events are promoted on social media and Spanish language media, Molina said.
Flu shots, unlike COVID-19 shots, are generally not free. A flu shot can cost $25 or more for people without health insurance.
That adds up to a lot when you are a family of six such as Erika Ruiz and her husband, Enrique Lopez, immigrants from Mexico, and their four children. Ruiz is a stay-at-home mom; Lopez works at a golf course.
Ruiz said getting the flu shot at a pharmacy not only would have been expensive without health insurance, it would have taken much longer because typically only two people at a time can schedule a vaccine appointment, which can take a half hour each.
At the school event, her family was simply able to walk in without an appointment and get vaccinated all at once.
Celso Lopez, 40, a construction worker, and his wife, Edith Santizo, 42, a house cleaner, visited the same event with their three children.
Lopez and Santizo, immigrants from Guatemala, received COVID-19 boosters and their three children, ages 1 to 5, received their first COVID-19 shots.
Lopez said the family was offered flu vaccines but turned them down because they were concerned about a double reaction. They plan to receive their flu shots when the children return in a month for their second COVID-19 shot.
But health officials say there is no reason to wait; it's fine to receive the flu shot and COVID-19 shots at the same time.
Besides two sore arms, any reaction your body experiences will be the same whether you receive one or both shots.
"Your immune system responding to those vaccines, that's what causes maybe a low-grade fever, some tiredness ... maybe even a little headache or something like that," said Staab, the Maricopa County epidemiologist. "Those shouldn't be twice as bad because you got two vaccines."
Free vaccines available
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health is offering free flu, COVID-19 and other vaccines at several community events.
To find an event, call 602-506-6767 or visit:https://www.maricopa.gov/1873/Influenza-Flu.
Reach the reporter at daniel.gonzalez@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-8312. Follow him on Twitter @azdangonzalez.
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