Iron County to hold flu shot clinics today

HURLEY — With its shipment of flu vaccines now delivered, the Iron County Health Department announced it is planning four flu vaccine clinics this month — including a pair of events in southern Iron County today.

Health department officials are encouraging people to get their flu shots as the department works to prevent a flu outbreak from complicating the effort to stop the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We don’t want to confuse the flu season with COVID-19,” said Zona Wick, a registered nurse and retired county health officer who returned to assist current health officer, Katie Hampston, as the public information officer during the pandemic. “Many of the symptoms are the same and that gets really difficult.”

The department will hold a drive-thru clinic from 10 a.m. to noon today at the Springstead Fire Hall on Wisconsin 182 in the town of Sherman, followed by an indoor clinic at the Mercer Community Center from 1 to 3 p.m.

Those attending the Mercer event are asked to enter through the community center doors and exit through the library.

The department has also scheduled a pair of walk-in clinics at the health department building on Copper Street in Hurley.

The first clinic will be Friday from 2 to 4 p.m., with a second walk-in event set for Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Those attending the walk-in clinics will be asked to wait in their cars if there are more than four people in the clinic’s waiting room to help minimize the number of people in the room.

The department was forced to cancel a number of flu shot clinics earlier this fall after delivery issues preventing the department from receiving an adequate number of vaccines. The cancelations led the department to wait until they actually received the vaccines to set new clinic dates, leading to the Friday announcement of the four events.

—Richard Jenkins