The Carbon County Commissioners, through cooperation with St. Luke’s Hospital Lehighton Campus and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, are offering free flu vaccines at a drive-thru clinic from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Lehighton Area School District complex. The clinic will operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants are encouraged to wear short sleeves under any jacket or other layers.

Entrance to the event will be on Mahoning Street - Route 902 and Indian Lane. Enter into the complex, stop your vehicle where instructed and you will receive additional information regarding registration and administration of the injection.

To make it easier, the Carbon County Commissioners have included the registration form on the county website at https://bit.ly/31AVwXh to allow people to print it and fill it out ahead of the event. This will help speed up serving you.

The board stresses to make sure to have an application for every person in your vehicle.

Influenza is a contagious disease, caused by the influenza virus. It attacks the nose, throat and lungs and may include the following symptoms: fever, headache, tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches.

The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.

Everyone 6 months and older should get the flu vaccine each season. It takes about two weeks for the antibodies from the vaccine to develop protection against infection.

In addition to getting vaccinated, Pennsylvanians are encouraged to practice healthy habits like covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, frequently washing your hands during flu season and remembering to disinfect commonly touched objects, such as doorknobs, light switches, countertops, cellphones and computers.

If you do become sick with the flu, it is important to stay home and rest. If you are at risk for developing serious complications from the flu, or feel extremely ill, you should see a medical professional immediately.

Additional information on the flu vaccine can also be found on the Department of Health’s website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.