Patients filed into the parking lot at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Saturday morning, Oct. 19, to protect themselves as flu season approaches.

The hospital hosted the drive-thru flu shot clinic a day after Riverside County public health officials announced the first flu-related death in the region. A man in his 70s died earlier in October, health officials said.

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Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center offers drive-thru flu shots as a nurse prepares a vaccine on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

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Between October 2023 and April 2024, as many as 75 million people got the flu in the U.S., according to estimates from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, resulting in up to 900,000 hospitalizations and between 17,000 and 100,000 deaths, the Pomona Valley hospital said in a news release.

RELATED: LA County offering free COVID-19 booster shots, critical for fall and winter

Public health officials say vaccinations can prevent flu transmission and reduce the risk of hospitalization, severe illness and death.

It is also an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions, such as heart disease and chronic lung disease, health officials say.


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