LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — For the past couple of months, health professionals have been encouraging and urging people to get the flu shot.
Well, turns out many are listening.
Brittany Marsh, owner and pharmacist at Cornerstone Pharmacy at Rodney Parham, said several people are coming in to get protected.
"So far, there's been a huge demand for flu shots. A lot of times when people are coming in for the vaccine, they're trying to knock both of them out at once," she said.
It's a lot about convenience, according to Marsh. Over in Little Rock, they're giving out about 100 flu shots a day.
"People are coming in already in the mindset of getting a vaccine. They're just adding that to their normal regimen," she said.
Marsh believes the uptick has to do with flu cases already on the rise coupled with a different perspective, for some, towards vaccines.
"I do think people are realizing the importance of vaccines a little more now that we have gone through this pandemic. So, I feel like people are starting to get the flu shot even if they were on the fence about it before," she said.
It's a similar story in the Delta Region at Doctor's Orders Pharmacy in Pine Bluff.
The traffic is so high, according to owner Lelan Stice, the pharmacy has already run out of a certain type of shot.
"We have already gone through our initial allocation of high dose flu vaccine for seniors and we're trying to get some more," he said.
That high-dose flu vaccine is for people 65 and older.
According to Stice, it's similar to the way the COVID booster shot is recommended for people in that same age group since their immune systems aren't as robust.
"It's a slightly higher dose of the vaccine in order to stimulate a little stronger response for the elderly," he said.
The pharmacy still has the regular vaccines, though, and is giving out about 150 to 200 a day.
Something that makes pharmacists like Stice happy.
"It's really encouraging to see everybody doing that, coming in and getting both vaccines, and it should help us get through this season again," he said.
Both Cornerstone Pharmacy and Doctor's Orders are taking walk-ins for the flu vaccine. No appointment is needed.