Health officials are concerned about the upcoming flu season.
Right now- health officials are not sure what having the flu and COVID-19 at the same time will do a person’s body.
Rebecca Lohagen is the Oneida County public health nurse and preparedness coordinator.
She says the best way to avoid complications is the get a flu vaccine.
“That is going to help prevent anyone from contracting influenza. Also if anyone has flu like symptoms. They should call the COVID hotlines at our local health care providers offices and speak to a nurse triage line before heading into urgent care or the ER,” said Lohagen.
Lohagen says health officials are worried about the strain the flu season during a pandemic could put on the health care system.
“Individuals who might normally ride out at home might be more likely to seek medical care this year because of COVID and we’re really concerned about overwhelming our healthcare system,” Lohagen said.
The good news is the same steps recommended for preventing the spread of COVID-19 should also help in the prevention of the flu.
“Our recommendations every year during flu season are very similar to COVID. Wash your hands. Cover your cough. Stay home when you’re sick and make sure you’re well before you go back out into the community,” said Lohagen.
Flu shots typically become available in September and October.
“The recommendation is for anyone six months and older to get the flu shot every year. Typically we start seeing administration of flu shots in September and October,” said Lohagen. “It takes about two weeks for your body to develop antibodies to fight the flu. So it’s important to get it early, but you can still get it through late in the year and early 2021.”
The Oneida County Health Department says it will be doing some vaccination clinics with social distancing measures in place.
The dates for those have not yet been released.
