KANSAS — Flu season is just around the corner and people are already getting their flu shots.
Hospitals across the country are already overworked due to the coronavirus, and health experts say they can’t handle a bad flu season.
According to the CDC up to 800,000 people are hospitalized with the flu each year and an average of 20,000 to 50,000 people die from the flu each year. I joined Governor Kelly as she got her flu vaccine at the statehouse. The Governor says, in order to avoid further exhausting health resources in the state, she is urging Kansans to follow her lead sooner rather than later.
Governor Laura Kelly, (D) Kansas, said, “It’s both to protect yourself but it’s also to protect our front-line workers and our hospitals from being overwhelmed at a time when they already are.”
The symptoms of the flu and the coronavirus can be quite similar, with both potentially having fever, shortness of breath and body aches. Health care experts say its best to take all precautions to keep your immune system healthy right now.
Chad Ullom, Pharmacist, said, “You definitely don’t want to be overwhelming the health care system, you want to stay out of that. Plus, it’s just a doorway to the other infection.”
The flu vaccine takes about 2 weeks to kick in, so it’s recommended to get it prior to the start of flu season in October. For adults, the vaccine will last you the entire flu season.