"
Fall is a tricky time of year every year as the number of cold and flu cases start to surge. Unfortunately, 2020 has brought a new set of challenges as the number of covid cases doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent the flu and lower your risk of getting covid-19. It’s best to educate yourself on prevention before flu season is actually here, so let’s get started!
Preventing Influenza
The flu is something that we deal with each fall and winter. Luckily, there is a way you can prevent it with over 80% accuracy! The flu vaccine becomes available each September. It’s best to get it when it becomes available, before the peak of flu season. The flu vaccine has little to no side effects and is covered by most major insurance companies. The flu vaccine is available to anyone over 6 months of age. Pregnant women and elderly people may need a different version of the vaccine, but they can still be vaccinated! When preventing the flu is as easy as getting one shit, why wouldn’t you?
Preventing COVID-19
While there is no vaccine for covid-19 yet, there are still things you can do to lower your risk of contracting or spreading the virus. Wearing a mask, social distancing, and avoiding large gatherings are a few of the best ways to help prevent covid-19. You can also get tested for covid-19 if you have symptoms or reason to believe you’ve been exposed to the virus, so that you don’t unknowingly spread it to those around you. Each state and city have their own guidelines in place depending on their statistics, while the CDC provides statistic for the entire country to follow. The combination of those recommendations from health experts is the best way to prevent covid-19 until a vaccine is available to the public.
Why Prevention is so Important
If you’re a generally healthy person you may not think getting sick is a big deal. While it might not be a big deal to you, it could mean life or death for those that you spread the virus to. It’s also important to remember that no matter how healthy you think you are, there’s no way to know for sure how ill a virus could make you. People end up hospitalized and dead each year from the flu. This year, there are also covid-19 numbers that continue to rise and fill hospitals. Doing your part to prevent illness means helping to prevent the American healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed. With so many covid-19 patients, we can’t afford to have a rampant flu season too. There simply isn’t enough room or staff to manage a flu epidemic and a covid pandemic at the same time.
If you’re interested in getting your flu vaccine or getting tested for covid-19, contact your local urgent care center today!
"
