Don’t forget that flu season is a threat, too

With so much focus on COVID-19 for the better part of two years, it’s easy to forget that it isn’t the only contagious illness that can be devastating without proper public vigilance.

The flu is another serious threat to public health that demands everyone’s attention. But there is reason to fear that a considerable number of people may overlook the need to get a flu shot this year.

Flu vaccinations are available now, and physicians advise getting it as soon as possible, before the flu season begins in earnest. We urge readers to heed the call.

A year ago more Americans than usual got flu shots, as medical authorities warned that a flu pandemic during the worst of COVID-19 could be devastating to our health system.

The combination of high vaccination rates and widespread mask wearing and social distancing led to a thankfully mild flu season. That was a blessing considering the long, brutal COVID winter we still had to endure.

But things are different this year. For one thing, COVID-19 restrictions have been loosened or eliminated altogether in many communities.

And reported that as of Oct. 29, flu vaccinations were down 8% from the number administered as of that date in 2020.

Health officials across the country are urging people to reverse the trend.

“I think any indication that we’re going to have lower flu vaccination rates is of concern,” Dr. Richard Webby, an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, told the

Webby said there are concerns that since flu hasn’t been circulating widely for a season and a half, fewer people may have lingering immunity to the virus than in a normal year.

We’re at yet another difficult moment in this ongoing public health crisis. People are understandably fatigued and just want to get on with their lives. Go to a crowded restaurant, store or event these days and it may seem as if there never was a pandemic.

Yet COVID-19 is far from finished. Numbers of cases and deaths are lower than they were during the worst of the pandemic but remain stubbornly high, with cases topping 80,000 and deaths more than 1,000 a day nationwide. Pennsylvania is seeing thousands of new cases each day. Numbers that had been dropping steadily have plateaued and even started to tick upward again.

We have seen the impact spikes in COVID-19 cases can have on hospitals. And experience tells us that bad flu seasons have a similar effect.

Let’s take advantage of the tools available to each of us to reduce the likelihood of a worsened health crisis this fall and winter.

That means getting a flu shot and making sure you’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with those eligible for a booster shot getting that as well. Remember that children between the ages of 5 and 11 can get the COVID vaccine now. The more families take advantage of that, the more likely schools can proceed with minimal disruptions.

Vaccines don’t eliminate the possibility of being infected, but they make it less likely that those who take the shots get severely ill.

Keep in mind that COVID and the flu are different types of viruses that require different vaccines, and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s perfectly safe to pair a flu vaccine with a COVID shot, whether it be a primary or booster dose.

It’s never been easier to get vaccinated against the flu or COVID-19. They are available at many local drugstores and at supermarkets and other larger retailers with pharmacy counters, as well as at doctors’ offices and clinics organized by health care providers. It’s just a matter of picking a favorable location and making an appointment. Most Americans with health insurance can get vaccines with no co-pay.

Just because the flu didn’t hit us hard last year doesn’t mean that it has stopped being a threat. Please act accordingly.