US health experts urge flu shots to avoid 'twindemic'

The U.S. is gearing up successful lawsuit of a atrocious flu play connected apical of the continuing COVID-19 crisis, with a plea Thursday for Americans to get vaccinated against both.

“I get it: We are each bushed of talking astir vaccines,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, manager of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But “it is doubly important this year” to get your flu shot, added Walensky, who got her ain vaccination earlier this week conscionable arsenic she has each twelvemonth since she was a aesculapian pupil successful 1995. “We are preparing for the instrumentality of the flu.”

Flu cases dropped to historically debased levels globally implicit the pandemic, arsenic restrictions designed to dilatory the dispersed of the coronavirus helped artifact different respiratory viruses. But with schools and businesses reopened, planetary question resuming and acold little masking, there’s nary mode to foretell however atrocious a flu play the U.S. mightiness expect this winter.

But officials are disquieted due to the fact that a antithetic respiratory virus, named RSV, that usually attacks young children successful the wintertime alternatively roared backmost past summertime arsenic soon arsenic radical started dropping their masks.

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“Is that a harbinger of a worse influenza season? We don’t know, but we surely don’t privation a ‘twindemic,' some COVID and influenza,” said Dr. William Schaffner of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

And if you inactive request a COVID-19 vaccination -- either archetypal shots oregon a booster dose -- you tin get it astatine the same sojourn arsenic a flu shot.

The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccination for conscionable astir everyone starting with 6-month-old babies. Influenza is particularly unsafe for older adults, children nether property 5, radical with chronic wellness problems specified arsenic diabetes, asthma oregon bosom disease, and during pregnancy.

Last fall, astir arsenic galore Americans wide got their flu vaccination arsenic they did earlier the pandemic -- astir fractional of the eligible population, according to CDC information released Thursday. But Walensky was dismayed by a flimsy driblet successful kid flu vaccinations past twelvemonth -- and astatine widening radical and taste disparities. Last year, 43% of Black Americans and 45% of Hispanics got a flu vaccination compared to 56% of whites.

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The CDC expects vaccine makers to present 188 cardinal to 200 cardinal doses of flu vaccine. Most Americans with security tin get 1 without a co-pay. Options see regular shots, shots that purpose to springiness older adults a small other protection, and a nasal spray. All connection extortion against 4 antithetic flu strains that planetary experts foretell are the kinds astir apt to dispersed this year.

At the aforesaid clip they get vaccinated against flu, officials besides urged older adults and radical with chronic illnesses to inquire astir getting a vaccine against a benignant of pneumonia that is simply a predominant complication.

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