Healthy Living: National Flu Shot Week

SEATTLE - December 6th-12th is National Influenza Vaccination Week and it’s a good reminder to get the flu shot if you haven't already as this time of year cases of the flu increase and that means we see more hospitalizations and during a pandemic, that is certainly something we don’t need.

Dr. Drew Oliveira is the Senior Executive Medical Director with Regence and he says, “We don’t want to have a twin pandemic.”

Dr. Oliveira says the combination of the flu and COVID-19 could mean increased chances of co-infections with the viruses and in turn, an overwhelmed healthcare system.

So, who should get a flu shot?  The CDC says everyone over 6 months old should get the flu shot, and those most at risk should highly consider the vaccination.

These groups include children under 5 years old, seniors 65 and older, pregnant women, and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, or heart disease.

Dr. Oliveira says there’s really no reason not to get a flu shot this year, “Flu shots are very safe, they have been around for a long time, they’re available today which is great and they’re, for almost everybody, they’re gonna be free.”

Dr. Oliveira says while the flu shot minimizes your risk of getting the flu, it does not protect you against COVID-19.

However he says there is some early research suggesting people who get the flu vaccine in the year before testing positive for COVID could be less likely to develop a severe form of the virus, but he says more research is needed.