Health officials are reminding Missouri residents to get a flu shot now if they haven’t done so already. Ryan Hobart of the state health department says if you wait until you get catch flu the shot won’t help. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective.

Hobart says contrary to what some people think, you can’t get the flu from the shot, which contains only dead viruses. He says no Missourian should be without the vaccine and this year there’s plenty to go around. About 135-million doses were shipped nationwide.

The Saint Joseph Health Department has already held a flu clinic, but most drugstores and doctor’s offices have the vaccine on hand. To find out where other public health agencies have scheduled flu clinics in northwest Missouri, click here.