Do you want to be a part of the problem or the solution this winter?

Although there haven’t been any cases of both influenza and Covid-19 yet, most experts agree that if they do eventually mix, it will be devastating.  The CDC (Center for Disease Control) urges people to get their flu vaccine this year.

Our school nursing staff emphasized this need.

“During The COVID-19 epidemic it is especially important to get your flu vaccine to reduce the risk of flu illness and hospitalization.” said Sue Hart, RHS Nurse.

“[Getting the vaccine] can save healthcare resources for the care of COVID -19 patients.” she said.

So the most important thing you can do right now to prevent overloaded hospitals is to get the flu vaccine. 

Predicting flu vaccine effectiveness is always a guessing game. Vaccines need to be made 6 months in advance, and we never get 100% effectiveness. Thanks to the current pandemic, the flu vaccine will become even more of a guessing game than normal. 

As of right now, nobody is certain whether the 2020 Flu Season will be better or worse than it normally is. Based on the flu season in the southern hemisphere, the flu season could be much tamer than previous years. 

While getting the flu shot is important this coming winter, wearing a mask, washing your hands and observing social distancing are all  still extremely necessary in making sure that you and others stay healthy.