‘It’s more important than ever to get vaccinated’
♦ Floyd health department is now offering flu vaccines as new COVID-19 cases continue to rise locally.
As flu season approaches and new COVID-19 infections continue to remain high locally, health department officials recommend now more than ever to get a flu shot.
“This flu season is going to be more challenging than ever due to the added risk of COVID-19 in our community,” Floyd County Health Department Nurse Manager Alison Watson said. “Influenza and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses.”
The Floyd County Health Department at 16 E. 12th St. offers a quadrivalent flu vaccine on a walk-in basis. The particular type of vaccine provides a broader protection against flu viruses and is more effective for people 65 and older, a Department of Public Health press release stated.
“It is possible for a person to get both the COVID-19 virus and the influenza virus at the same time or backto-back,” says Watson. “You can protect yourself and others from influenza by getting the flu vaccine early this year, wearing a mask, practicing safe physical distancing, washing hands frequently, and staying home if you are sick with any kind of symptoms.”
New infections for COVID- 19 in Floyd County continue to stay high and the number people infected in the past two weeks has begun to rise again after a short period of decline.
There were 49 new infections reported Friday for a total of 421 in the past two weeks.
Now being on the cusp of flu season, public health officials are urging people to get a flu vaccine. Flu season usually begins in October but can begin as early as September and last well into March. Peak flu season in Georgia usually occurs in late January and early February.
“It’s more important than ever to get vaccinated,” Wat
son says. “The COVID- 19 pandemic has caused shortages of hospital beds, ICU beds, and ventilators even outside of flu season. During flu season, when both the flu and COVID- 19 will be circulating, hospitals may again face shortages, limiting their ability to care for people who are seriously ill with the flu, COVID-19, or both.”
Georgia stepped over the 300,000 mark for cumulative cases yesterday. For reference, the state passed 200,000 cases in the beginning of August and 100,000 in early July. The first cases were reported in Georgia in March.
Spikes in cases are typically followed by spikes in the number of hospitalizations. A late July, early August jump in the number of COVID-19 infections — attributed to people eschewing social distancing practices
on holiday weekends — led to stark increases in hospitalizations locally.
On Friday, there were 42 COVID-19 positive patients in local hospitals. That number has been slowly declining since mid-August highs in the 70s.
Public health officials have said some of the symptoms of flu and COVID are similar, and it may be hard to tell them apart based on symptoms.
According to the CDC, common symptoms shared by COVID and the flu include fever or feeling feverish/ chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle pain of body aches, headache as well as vomiting and diarrhea. However many people infected with COVID-19 have included a change or loss of taste and smell.