‘Drive-Through’ Flu Shots Offered

Getting a hamburger is quicker, but neither the hour-plus wait nor the needle’s sting bothered an overflow crowd that lined up Saturday for “drive-through” flu shots.

“I knew it would be crowded,” Bob Hardesty said from his car in the line outside the University of Kansas Medical Center. “But I need the shot.”

The medical center offered free influenza vaccinations to anyone willing to drive along a short route at the center, with stops to fill out release forms and to answer basic health questions.

Hundreds of cars lined up before the 9 a.m. opening. The medical center had expected more than 1,000 people to take advantage of the drive-through clinic, but more than 2,000 turned out, officials said.

Volunteers with walkie-talkies directed traffic, which crawled from station to station. At the final station, the drivers rolled down their windows, stuck out their arms and received injections from nurses.

The medical center decided to offer the drive-through clinic because this year’s strain of the flu virus is expected to be particularly strong, said Dr. Margaret Hagen, medical director of the flu shot clinic.