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Flu Shots Allow Practice Drills

Nurse.com
December 28, 2007

Some states are offering free flu vaccinations as practice for an emergency response to a pandemic or bioterrorism attack.

Arkansas conducted the largest free flu-shot drive in the country, vaccinating more than 100,000 people in a three-day, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded test, according to the Stateline.org website.

Stations were set up in 81 schools, churches, fairgrounds and other venues.

They were even offered on a drive-through basis in parking lots. It was funded under a $500 million program launched last year. The CDC paid for personnel, equipment, and transportation.

The cost of the shots is being recovered through private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and the state. Colorado, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Nebraska, and New York offered shots on much smaller scales.