• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 31, 2009

In an effort to promote public health and win new fans, drugstore chains are knocking themselves out this flu season: CVS says it will give $3 million worth of free flu shots to the unemployed, and rival Walgreens will hand out $1 million worth.

CVS' 100,000 free shots will be offered onsite at One-Stop Career Center locations, and it will also hand out vouchers that can be used at CVS stores or many of its MinuteClinics.

The company says it decided to offer the free shots after its research found that only 34% of job seekers say they got a flu shot last year, compared to 49% of the overall population. "CVS Caremark wants to ensure cost and access are not barriers to getting a flu shot this year for one of the most vulnerable populations, the unemployed," the Woonsocket, R.I.-based company says in its release, adding that the large-scale immunization program is "part of our broader efforts to help prevent the spread of seasonal flu, which can lead to more serious and costly health problems."

The company says seasonal flu shots will be available for all consumers at 500 of its MinuteClinic locations, beginning Sept. 1 and beginning Sept. 15, at about 9,000 flu shot clinics in select stores. (A spokesperson says the shots cost $30, and are covered by most insurance plans.)

Walgreens says it will offer its flu vaccines at more than 7,000 stores starting Sept. 1, with 16,000 certified immunizers wielding the needles, including pharmacists, nurse practitioners and physicians assistants. Shots are offered on both a walk-in and by-appointment basis between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and cost $24.99. (Its Take Care Clinics are also offering the FluMist nasal spray alternatives, for $29.99.)

Both initiatives come at a time when flu awareness is high, although these seasonal flu shots will not protect against the H1N1 flu virus -- that vaccine is expected to be available around mid-October. "While there's certainly widespread and growing concern around H1N1, what consumers can do, right now is get the seasonal flu vaccine," Walgreens says in its statement.

Currently, government health officials are suggesting that people get both the seasonal flu shot and, when it becomes available, a shot against novel H1N1 as well.

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