COLORADO SPRINGS – A vivid reminder here in the Pikes Peak region that flu and cold season is still in full swing. Friday, schools in our area had to shut down because too many students or teachers had come down with the illness, creating a high level of absences.
James Irwin Charter School in Colorado Springs is closed from Friday through the Monday holiday, so they can scrub the entire building clean. They are reporting an extraordinarily high number of absentees due to the cold and flu. Also, the Miami-Yoder School District J-T 60, closed on Friday because of multiple staff and student illnesses.
As those local schools deal with sick students, new information from the Centers for Disease Control on the effectiveness of this year’s flu vaccine. The agency reports it’s just under 50-percent effective, which is on par with past flu seasons. Although the rate has fluctuated from a low of 19-percent to 48-percent. Nonetheless, they still urge everyone to get a vaccination, it is not too late. The CDC says that people who are vaccinated and still get sick generally get less severe symptoms for shorter periods of time.
Talk to your doctor or your local pharmacy about the closest place to get a flu shot and speak with your insurance company about covering the cost.
