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Uber Expands to Deliver Flu Shot Kits

Along with offering rides, Uber is branching out to deliver several types of goods from food to kittens and flu shot kits.

(TNS) -- The ride service Uber, which just last month delivered on-demand kittens for adoption, on Thursday offers on-demand flu vaccinations in Detroit area and 34 other cities.

For $10, customers can order a health packet containing a bottle of hand sanitizer, tissues, and — more importantly for the busy, the homebound and the uninsured — up to ten flu vaccinations.

That is cheaper than the $30 snuggle fee Uber charged on National Cat Day for 15 minutes of cuddle time with orphaned kittens. That charity event let to at least 18 kitten adoptions and raised an undisclosed sum for three Detroit-area animal shelters and rescue centers. Uber reported that all proceeds went to the shelters and none to the ride service.

This week's flu vaccination day is the result of a three-way partnership, said Michael White, general manager for Uber Michigan.

which launched its Michigan operations in 2013, provides the technology to order up the health packets and the drivers to deliver the goods. Epidemico, a health informatics company, will provide the vaccines. Passport Health, which offers immunizations and health care to travelers, will provide the nurses, White said.

Uber’s home visits, which run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be offered in Grand Rapids as well. A registered nurse will arrive with the driver, handle any consent forms, and offer vaccines for children as young as 4 years old with a parent’s consent.

The service will give “people an opportunity to request a wellness pack within minutes at a really affordable price. This might open it up to individuals who might not think about the flu shot or may not take the time,” White said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. This year's flu vaccine is believed to be better matched than

last year's to circulating flu viruses, according to the CDC. Full protection takes about two weeks after vaccination to develop. Most seasonal flu activity typically occurs between October and May, with peaks commonly occurring between December and February, according to the CDC.

Uber, which partners with local drivers, usually arrives within seven minutes of a consumer scheduling a ride in the Detroit area, which on Thursday stretches from Romulus to Eastpointe to downtown, White said. Demand is expected to be high for the Thursday "home visits", which can’t be ordered until Thursday beginning at 11. Still, White said he expects to cars to arrive within about ten minutes of scheduling an appointment.

And whether it’s one customer receiving a shot or ten, the cost remains $10 for the entire stop, White said.

To order a wellness pack:

  • Open the Uber app between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday.
  • Select the ‘UberHEALTH’ option and request delivery.
  • The nurse who arrives with Uber driver will handle paperwork and consent forms.
©2015 the Detroit Free Press Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.