Flu shot

Amid coronavirus pandemic, doctors say: Get your flu shot

by JoAnna Wendel
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

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Winter is coming, which means flu season will soon be upon us.

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And with the US still struggling with rising cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, you might be wondering: Is it worth leaving my house to get a flu shot?

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Healthcare professionals have a simple answer:

Yes.

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The CDC estimates that the flu leads to millions of doctors visits and more than 100,000 hospitalizations every year.

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With the US’s healthcare system already stretched thin by hundreds of thousands of coronavirus cases, adding a bad flu season on top of that could “be a breaking point,” says Libby Richards, an associate professor at Purdue University’s School of Nursing.

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Flu season runs from about October to April every year, and this year, the CDC expects to produce 20 million more vaccines than for the 2019-2020 year.

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Richards says that the best time to get a flu shot would be September, before cases start growing.

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If you’re worried about spending time in a clinic, Richards says that clinics probably adhere to a much stricter set of requirements for sanitation.

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And as always, make sure you wear a mask.

Read a deep dive of this story here.

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