Staff Report

As flu season begins, adults in the Santa Ynez Valley are invited to get a free flu shot at a clinic hosted by the Vikings of Solvang from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Solvang Veterans Memorial Building.

No appointments are necessary, but recipients must be 18 or older.

Dr. Roger Lane and staff members from Santa Ynez Valley Medical Associates have volunteered to administer the inoculations and operate the clinic in the Legion Wing of the Vets Hall.

While many flu cases are mild, as many as 36,000 people die from the flu each year in the United States, and many more are hospitalized. A vaccine can keep a person from getting the flu, make it less severe if someone does catch it, and keep that person from spreading the disease to family members and others.

Because there is no live flu virus in a flu shot, a vaccination cannot cause the flu.

The Vikings have operated two blood drives each year for decades, but this is the nonprofit group’s first flu-shot clinic.

The Vikings of Solvang are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides help for the medically related needs of qualified people and organizations in Santa Barbara County, with a goal of improving people’s quality of life.

For more information, send email to info@vikingcharitiesinc.com.