62-year-old Frank Welch, Jr. is getting his first flu shot.
Frank Welch Jr.: "I've noticed it's been an epidemic type of flu, it's killed people. So, I thought I'm not getting any younger, time to protect yourself."
He's one of many at the free flu shot clinic at Portland City Hall getting the vaccine for the first time.
Samantha Burns: "Everybody has been talking about how bad it is. In the grocery store people are coughing and sneezing. I don't want to get sick."
These two say they never really saw the need for a shot until this year's flu season. According to the staff running the free clinic, they say they've been hearing that a lot.
Caroline Teschke, Portland Public Health Division: "It takes a serious epidemic to get people really motivated and activate to have their flu shots and last week, because of the epidemic being serious this year and there have been some serious consequences in New England, the city of Portland decided to offer free flu shots."
About 200 shots were administered Friday at City Hall. The Maine CDC tells us they have plenty of supply to meet the demand.
Dr. Sheila Pinette, director of Maine CDC: "We have adequate supply here in the state of Maine. If people are finding that their local pharmacy doesn't have any that day, they might have run out. Their distributors still have them.”
Clinic staff say by offering free shots, they're trying to make the process of getting one as simple as possible.
Teschke: "We're trying to make it as low barrier as we possibly can by making it free and making it walk-in so there really are no barriers to getting one."
So whether you've been here before or this is your first time rolling up your sleeve, now's the time to get a shot before the flu gets to you.
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