Uber Offers Free Flu Vaccine

VOA News
25 October 2016 (2:09PM)

Ride hailing service Uber is offering free flu shots to customers in select U.S. cities.

“This flu season, we’re delivering free flu-fighting care packages across the country,” the company said in a blog post. “When you receive a pack, you’ll have the option to request a free flu shot from a registered nurse – for up to 5 people.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu infects from 5 to 20 percent of the population each year. Over 4,000 people died in the U.S. from the flu in 2014, according to the CDC.

Uber says arranging a shot is as simple as opening the Uber app and choosing the “health” option and requesting a “flu-fighting care package” that includes a registered nurse to give your vaccine.

The free vaccines are only available Tuesday during a four-hour window.

“All vaccinations (appropriate for ages 4 and up) will be administered by a registered nurse through (international travel medicine business) Passport Health,” Uber wrote. “All consent information and paperwork stays between the recipient and them.”

This is not the first time Uber has offered flu shots. According to the blog post, the company has been giving shots “from Boston to Cape Town” over the past three years.

The service is being offered in several U.S. cities, including Boston, Chicago, Houston and Washington, among others.