ELIZABETHTOWN — Drive-thru testing for the flu will be done Oct. 16 and Oct. 20 at the Bladen County Health Department, 300 Mercer Mill Road in Elizabethtown.

The times are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 16, and 4 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 20. Participants should bring a photo ID and their insurance card.

The Health Department says it will accept insurance from Medcost, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Cigna, Medicare and Medicaid. For those with no insurance, payment is required at time of service.

The cost structure for those without insurance is as follows, and does not include a $25 administrative fee for each vaccine:

• Age 65-and-up, high dose, $75.

• Age 50-64, high dose, $75.

• Regular flu vaccine, $50.

• Preservative free, $50.

Anyone wishing to get one can visit the Health Department, at 300 Mercer Mill Road in Elizabethtown, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

A flu vaccine does not protect against COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. As for which illness is more dangerous, the CDC says, “Flu and COVID-19 can both result in serious illness, including illness resulting in hospitalization or death. While there is still much to learn about COVID-19, at this time, it does seem as if COVID-19 is more deadly than seasonal influenza; however, it is too early to draw any conclusions from the current data. This may change as we learn more about the number of people who are infected who have mild illnesses.”

People can have both the flu and the coronavirus at the same time, the CDC says. It has developed a test that will check for A and B type seasonal flu viruses, and SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Alan Wooten can be reached at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com. Twitter: @alanwooten19.