A total of 528 people of all ages received flu vaccines this weekend through the Island boards of health annual flu clinic.

Chilmark health agent Marina Lent said the total includes 53 first responders who were immunized Friday. Immunizing police, fire and rescue personnel is important, she said, because they often respond to help elderly or ill people who are more likely to become seriously sick with the flu.

“We always make [first responders] a real priority,” Ms. Lent said.

At the flu clinic Saturday, 475 doses were delivered, including 58 children’s vaccinations. “This was first time that we made pediatric vaccines part of our regular clinic,” Ms. Lent said. Families and those who lived nearby or took the bus received the vaccines at a walk-in clinic set up in the cafeteria. The majority of those who were vaccinated Saturday used a drive-through option. There was vehicle staging at Waban Park in Oak Bluffs and West Tisbury School prior to going to the high school.

The drive-through clinic is “practice for a really horrific pandemic situation,” Ms. Lent said.

“The last thing you want to do when a pandemic is happening is have hundreds of people gathering,” she added. “That’s why it’s a good model.”

Ms. Lent said attendance at the annual flu clinic has been decreasing as vaccinations have become more available at pharmacies and doctors’ offices.

The clinic was a collaboration between the boards of health, the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, the Visiting Nurses Association of Cape Cod and the Wampanoag Tribal Health Services. Ms. Lent said police and emergency managers helped with staging and the regional high school, Red Cross and Salvation Army were also involved.

Ms. Lent stressed the importance of vaccinations for those of all ages. The flu can be a very serious illness for people who are older or who have chronic illnesses, she said, and while young and healthy people may not be seriously impacted by the flu, they could spread it to others.

This year’s flu clinic produced “a reasonable turnout,” Ms. Lent said. “Every bit counts.”