Flu Shot Season Begins Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 01 October 2018 06:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Flu Shot Season Begins Cedars-Sinai to Sponsor Free Flu Vaccination Clinics Throughout the Community download Your browser does not support HTML5 video. Get Your Flu Shot Flu season doesn't start until Nov. 1, but the flu vaccination season is already underway. "The best time to get a flu vaccination is before the flu season starts," said Jonathan Grein, MD, director of hospital epidemiology. "It takes a couple of weeks for the vaccine to be fully effective because your body needs a little time to build up the antibodies it needs to fight off the flu. That's why we recommend getting vaccinated in October." Although many think the flu is a minor inconvenience, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter - the disease's highest death toll in at least forty years. The flu can lead to fatal complications like pneumonia, stroke and heart attack. The flu hit epidemic levels for 16 straight weeks and more than 700,000 people were hospitalized. "The flu is a serious health threat, especially to people who are vulnerable like the elderly and children, as well as people fighting serious illnesses, like cancer, because their immune systems are compromised," Grein said. In an effort to help as many people as possible get vaccinated, Cedars-Sinai is sponsoring a number of free vaccination clinics. Community members are invited to get their free flu shots from a Cedars-Sinai health professional at any of these clinics: Tuesday, Oct. 2, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at Beverly Hills Roxbury Park, 471 S. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, 90212 Thursday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at People Coordinated Services Multipurpose Senior Center, 5133 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, 90043 Sunday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m. – noon, Holman United Methodist Church, 3320 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, 90018 Tuesday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m. – noon, Korea Town Senior & Community Center, 965 S. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles, 90006 Wednesday, Oct. 24 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, 8800 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90012 Sunday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m.- noon – Cedars-Sinai, Spielberg building, 8723 W. Alden Dr., 2nd floor, Los Angeles, 90048 Sunday, Nov. 18, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., 88th Street Temple Church of God in Christ, 8825 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles 90044 Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Contact Marni Usheroff marni.usheroff@cshs.org Search Our Newsroom Share this release Flu Shot Season Begins Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home