Vaccinations, Mitigation Measures Important for Fighting the Flu During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By David Hadar. This video is produced by and for Centre County Report and is shared through a partnership with StateCollege.com

As the leaves change colors and crisp fall air arrives in Pennsylvania, flu season isn’t far behind. 

The Centers for Disease Control estimate as many as 56 million people got the flu last season, and up to 62,000 people died from it.

This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic added in, health experts are bracing for a rough time.

‘If we had widespread use of these community mitigation measures combined with high influenza vaccination rates, those may be effective in reducing the incidence and impact of influenza in the U.S. as well,’ said Dr. Carrie Hanley, manager of infection prevention and control at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

The southern hemisphere typically sees flu season start around May or June and peak in July or August. That timeline coupled with the pandemic had doctors in those countries worried. As the season progressed, they kept waiting for a flu outbreak, but it never happened.

‘I attribute much of this decline in influenza activity to community mitigation measures, such as social distancing, masking and education, that have been implemented to stop the COVID pandemic.’

But Hanley advises people here in Pennsylvania to get a flu shot.

‘The flu has an annual vaccine available to protect us, whereas COVID doesn’t, so it’s very important to take advantage of this added protection against the flu,’ she said. 

Hanley says you can get a flu shot at just about any drug store, supermarket or doctor’s office. It takes mere minutes to schedule and get the vaccine and most health care plans cover it.

It’s recommended that people get vaccinated before the end of October but the shot is available into the winter and spring