More than 1,000 get flu shots at Bridgewater drive-thru clinic

Over the span of two weekends, hundreds of people were able to get their flu shot in Bridgewater without even having to leave their vehicle.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional flu shot clinics that attract large crowds aren’t feasible, and giving out shots at a doctor’s office or pharmacy can take time.

To ensure residents still get their shots, Bridgewater doctors decided to offer a drive-thru flu shot clinic.

“It’s been received remarkably well, we’ve had very good feedback,” said family physician Dr. Timothy Riding.

“People like that it’s a come as you can, because we’ve had a number of people feeding back that they normally get flu shots, but when they called their primary care provider they were told they could get one in three weeks to a month from now.”

At the drive-thru clinic which operated last weekend, and then again on Friday and Saturday this week, no appointment was necessary. Anyone with a health card was able to drive up and get a shot.

After waiting in the parking lot for about 15 minutes to ensure there were no complications, those who received a shot were free to go — without ever having to step outside.

“It was great, it went very well,” said Travis Wilson, who attended the clinic on Saturday with his family. “It was actually very easy,” he said.

At some points, cars were lined up waiting for their turn while others had no wait at all. Many said they were impressed with how smoothly things went.

“This was the simplest, easiest, smoothest, most fun process to get a flu shot I’ve ever had,” said Heather Robertson. “I hope they do this every year.”

5:59 Flu Shots During COVID-19 Pandemic

Over the course of four days, over 1,300 people stopped by to get their shot at the drive-thru clinic.

Doctors say they still haven’t decided if they will continue with this method after COVID-19, but it could play a role in doling out COVID-19 vaccines if and when they become available.

“Having a mechanism where we can set up and run something like this is quite useful,” said Riding. He said doctors are already considering how to adapt the process for a larger scale.

“We’ve been considering a variety of locations, and the manpower of how to optimize and smooth flow,” he said.

In the meantime, Riding says he encourages other physicians to consider something similar in their own community for this year’s flu vaccine.

While the drive-thru clinic has now wrapped up in Bridgewater, the influenza vaccine continues to be available at most pharmacies and from family doctors, family practice nurses and nurse practitioners.

The province said it has ordered nearly 500,000 doses of the flu shot this year and encourages all Nova Scotians over six months old to get the shot.