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The Minneapolis VA Health Care System is offering walk-in flu shot clinics for veterans the next three Thursdays at all 15 locations.

“Getting a flu vaccine every year is the very best action we can take to prevent flu,” said Megan Daman, health promotion and disease prevention program manager at the Minneapolis VA, in a press release.

When a person with flu sneezes, coughs, talks or laughs, flu virus can spread into the air as droplets. The droplets can spread to people and surfaces up to six feet away. Flu virus can spread to your hands if you touch anything that has the virus on it. If you then touch your eyes, nose or mouth, you might get the flu. People can spread flu to others about one day before they feel sick and up to five days after getting sick.

You can protect yourself, your family, your neighborhood and the veteran community from the flu by getting the flu shot.

“It’s important to me to get vaccinated because I want to stay well so I can care for veterans, support my colleagues and be present for my family and community,” Daman said. “It’s an easy thing we can all do to keep ourselves and others well.”

The walk-in flu shot clinics will be held Thursdays Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and 10 at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Flu shot clinics will also be offered at all Community Based Outpatient Clinics from 1 to 3 p.m. to include:

Albert Lea, 2115 East Main Street, Albert Lea, MN

Chippewa Valley, 475 Chippewa Mall Drive, Suite 418, Chippewa Falls, WI

Community Resource and Referral Center for Homeless Veterans, 1201 Harmon Place, Suite 103, Minneapolis

Ely, 720 East Miners Drive, Ely, MN

Hayward, 10369 State Highway 27, Hayward, WI

Hibbing, 990 West 41st Street, Suite 88, Hibbing, MN

Lyle C. Pearson, 1400 Madison Avenue, Suite 502, Mankato, MN

Maplewood, 3100 Kennard Street, Kennard Professional Building, Suite 100, Maplewood, MN

Northwest Metro, 7545 Veterans Drive, Ramsey, MN

Rice Lake, 320 South Access Road, Suite 100, Rice Lake, WI

Rochester, 3551 Commercial Drive South West, Suite 400, Rochester, MN

Shakopee, 1555 Lusitano Street, Shakopee, MN

St. James, 1103 13th Ave. S., St. James, MN

Twin Ports, 3520 Tower Avenue, Superior, WI

Everyone age 6 months and older should get a flu shot every year, according to the release. Getting a flu shot is the best way to slow the spread of flu.