Putnam County parents and staff members have until the end of the day Friday to register for upcoming school-based flu shot clinics.
Cookeville High School Clinic Nurse Karen Bear said the Tennessee Department of Health provides the vaccinations at no cost to families. Bear said the registration process is handled through an online portal that is available in both English and Spanish.
“The flu injection doesn’t necessarily keep it away from you can still get the flu shot and get the flu, but it helps prevent it from being so severe and long-acting,” Bear said. “So it is it’s really just your opinion and you know whether you know it’s worked for you in the past, or it’s a choice.”
Bear said families can access the registration link and a flyer containing specific school dates through their school website or the ParentSquare notification system. The sign-up form requires basic student information, including their homeroom teacher and any known allergies.
“It is just recommended to keep our school kids in school and healthy,” Bear said. “Obviously you don’t have any obligation to sign your child up or yourself up.”
Bear said the clinics will take place during the regular school day at various campuses on October 21 and October 22. The schedule includes morning and afternoon sessions to accommodate all schools across the county, including those in Baxter, Algood, and Monterey.
“If you’re sometimes coming down with the flu sometimes, or you already have something brewing, it you know you might get sick off of it, because it is a live virus going into your system,” Bear said. “I just recommend taking a Motrin, make that arm not hurt so much, move your arm around, know it is going to be red, sore, and probably get a lump from it because you know it’s going to into that muscle.”
Bear said the vaccine is administered as an injection into the muscle and is not the nasal spray version. Bear said the health department will not administer the shots in the backside.
“Their primary physician could really tell them whether they’re appropriate or whether it would be good for them to their child to take the flu shot,” Bear said.
Parents with medical questions or concerns about their child’s immune system should contact their primary physician or the school system student services department before the deadline.
