PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Portsmouth Health Department will hold a free drive-through flu shot event on September 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Portsmouth campus of Tidewater Community College.

Vaccines will be available for ages six months and up. The first 200 cars will receive a first-aid kit for their car. The event will be held rain or shine unless there is lightning or severe weather.

The event is designed to help the PHD exercise and evaluate the administration of vaccines in a drive-through format, while also providing free vaccines to the public and increasing influenza vaccination rates in Virginia.

Participants are asked to wear a short-sleeved shirt for easy access to the arm.

In Hampton Roads, flu activity generally peaks between January and March, but cases of influenza can be seen as early as October. It takes the body approximately two weeks for it to build the antibodies necessary to fight off the influenza virus.