TROY, Illinois — The arrival of chilly weather also means cold and flu season is coming. And with COVID-19 cases on the rise in Missouri and Illinois, doctors said it is critical for everyone who is able to get a flu shot to get vaccinated.
“Even with social distancing and masking precautions in place, the flu season is a very real risk to our communities this year,” said. Dr. Ryan Wood, a family and sports medicine physician at HSHS Medical Group Family Medicine – Troy. “The shot is quick, relatively painless, and a simple step you can take to protect yourself and your family from illness.”
Wood offered the following seven reasons as to why people should get a flu vaccine:
- Immunization is the No. 1 best way to prevent the flu. With rare exceptions, everyone 6 months and older needs a yearly flu vaccine.
- Spare yourself. The flu can bring miserable symptoms and lead to missing work or school.
- Influenza makes some people seriously ill. Every year, flu complications lead to hospital stays – and even deaths.
- Viruses tend to change each flu season. Scientists review U.S. flu vaccines yearly to make sure they best match circulating viruses.
- Influenza spreads. Be ready – get vaccinated as promptly as possible.
- Flu vaccines have a solid safety record. Vaccines can’t give you the flu – and serious side effects are very rare.
- COVID-19 and the flu will likely spread at the same time this year. Reduce your risk of getting both COVID-19 and flu at the same time by getting the flu shot.
HSHS Medical Group has flu shots available for patients.
Other health care providers in the St. Louis area are providing flu shot clinics. For a list and map of free flu vaccine events, visit VaccinateSTL.org. The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force launched the VaccinateSTL campaign to increase awareness about getting the vaccine.
Getting flu vaccines will not prevent COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control. However, if more people get vaccinated, it will reduce the strain of flu-related illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on the health care system.
The CDC estimates fewer than half of Americans got a flu vaccine last season and at least 410,000 people were hospitalized because of the flu.
