Coronavirus During Flu Season –
Do Your Part, Get Your Flu Shot!
Staying the course during the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially during flu season, is critically important. As Vermonters we have done a good job so far in managing COVID-19 by wearing a face mask, hand-washing often, maintaining a 6-foot social distance, avoiding large gatherings and staying home if you're feeling sick.
We must continue to be vigilant. The combination of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza (flu) is dangerous. The only thing we can do to protect ourselves is to get the flu shot. This year, more than ever, it's vitally important to get the flu shot and to get it as early as possible.
The good news is it's easy! Here are ways to get your shot:
- Call your primary care provider and schedule an appointment today
- Visit VaccineFinder.org to find a vaccine location near you
- Community partners such as VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region run regular flu clinics
- Look for “Get Your Flu Shot Here” signs at local pharmacies and large retail establishments
What are the Symptoms of Flu versus COVID-19?
Many respiratory viruses, including the flu and COVID-19, have similar symptoms. Because the spread of COVID-19 is so dangerous, this year, people with cold-like symptoms will set in motion the same enhanced protective protocol we use with COVID-19 until we have proven that it is not COVID-19.
Take Control This Flu Season
Certainly getting COVID-19 and the flu at the same time is dangerous. But you can take control by getting your flu shot as early as you can to protect yourself throughout the flu season. It's important to remember that you can not get the flu from the flu shot, and that it takes two weeks for the flu vaccine to build up the antibodies to protect you. While the flu shot is not designed to prevent 100% of flu cases, it does dramatically decrease the likelihood of getting the flu and makes the symptoms far less severe.
An increase in flu cases during the COVID-19 pandemic could quickly overwhelm our healthcare system, so please do your part this flu season and get your flu shot!
To learn more, please read this article on the 2020 flu season written by Rick Hildebrant, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Information Officer and Medical Director Hospital Medicine at Rutland Regional Medical Center.
