The upcoming flu season in the middle of a pandemic has local health care professionals urging people to get vaccinated early. The Centers for Disease Control are predicting between 194-198 million doses of the influenza vaccine will be available for the upcoming season, which is 20 million more than last year’s record production. Healthcare providers are urging patients to get vaccinated not just to protect them from possible effects of the flu, but to also prevent them from possibly burdening the system in case COVID-19 cases spike again. Amber Allen, the executive director of Primary Care, Quality, and Innovation at Prevea Health, advises patients to plan ahead to make sure they are able to get vaccinated in a timely fashion.
Allen says September and October are good times to start getting vaccinated for the flu, but now is when you should get those appointments scheduled. CNN reported Wednesday that Massachusetts became the first state in the country to require flu vaccinations for all students kindergarten through 12th grade.