In most towns and cities across the United States you can find urgent care clinics offering walk in vaccines and services for all of the patients who come through their doors. It’s estimated that 3 million patients visit urgent care each week, according to the Urgent Care Association of America. These services are beneficial for patients who can’t wait for an appointment to get these things done elsewhere. This article will be taking a brief look at several types of shots and tests that you can receive at urgent care.
- The Annual Flu Shot: One walk in vaccine that you can receive at urgent care is the annual flu shot. The shot is available during the fall and winter months that are also known as flu season. The flu shot is generally considered one of your best opportunities to avoid catching the flu, and should be taken no matter what age you are, even if you’re in otherwise good health.
- Travel Vaccinations: Another option for walk in vaccines that you can receive at urgent care are travel vaccinations. These are shots that are recommended for travelers to take if they go overseas to certain countries. It’s highly recommended to get these vaccinations well in advance of your trip so the vaccines have time to take hold in the body. Most urgent care clinics offer whatever travel vaccinations you will need.
- Testing for STDs and HIV: One type of testing that you can receive at an urgent care clinic is testing for STDs and HIV. Given the nature of these diseases, the consequences of getting infected can be life-altering to say the very least. No matter the circumstances, if you even suspect you have been infected with an STD, or worse, exposed to HIV, you need to visit urgent care to get tested right away. The sooner you get tested, the sooner you can find out if there are additional steps that need to be taken to protect your health.
- Blood Tests: And finally, another type of testing that you can receive at an urgent care clinic is blood tests. As the name implies, these are tests that examine your blood to detect any problems or diseases. Blood tests have evolved a great deal over the years, and can now detect a wide variety of problems with reasonable degrees of accuracy. Furthermore, these tests are all available at urgent care clinics, and can be a critical first step towards figuring out what may be causing a specific illness.
In conclusion, there are several types of shots and tests that you can receive at urgent care. These include receiving the annual flu shot, getting travel vaccinations, getting tested for STDs and HIV, and having blood tests done. These are just a few of the things that you can have done at the local urgent care clinic.
