COLORADO SPRINGS — Experts are warning of a stronger and earlier start to this year's flu season after a mild past two years during the pandemic.
The CDC gets flu projections from countries in the Southern Hemisphere, like Australia, that are wrapping up their flu season now. Australia's latest reportfrom the country's Department of Health and Aged Care showed the highest rates in five years. The country recorded flu cases around two months earlier than normal and the number of cases reached three times higher than the average. Experts are pointing to less social distancing and masking measures as a major cause for the increase.
Here in Colorado, pharmacists are preparing for the same trends to hit during our flu season. Nikki Price, the director of pharmacy operations for Alberton's Safeway pharmacies, said people should get their flu shot in early fall and no later than October. She said with the holidays coming up it's important to protect yourself and other family members.
"We're around family members, you're around Grandma and Grandpa, you're around new babies. You don't want to be the spreader, you know, whether it's COVID, or whether it's the flu, and by getting vaccinated, not only does it protect you, but you're protecting those around you because then you're not the carrier," she said.
The report from Australia's flu season showed children were hit the hardest. Those aged five to nine years old had the highest case rate, followed by children under five and those aged 10 to 19 years old.
Price said getting the flu shot can reduce the chance of hospitalizations, which can ease the load on healthcare workers who are still dealing with COVID patients in hospital beds.
"You get the flu and you have to be hospitalized, we're now starting to overwhelm our healthcare systems with people who have COVID. And though COVID cases are down because of vaccinations and so on, there are still people who are getting sick from it," she said.
Joel Ehlers, a CVS pharmacy manager in Colorado Springs, said with the new omicron variant booster now available, it is safe and recommended to get the dose alongside your flu shot.
"They don't interfere with each other at all, we just got the new booster. So you can get those both together," he said. "It's ideal to get both of them to make sure you have full coverage against both and to kind of mitigate those complications that can occur with infection of either one of them."
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