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As the flu season approaches in the United States, health experts are warning that the addition of another respiratory illness on top of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could overburden the health care system, strain testing capacity, and increase the risk of catching both diseases at once.1

your flu shot is more important than ever this year

Maybe you usually skip getting your flu shot. Or maybe you think that, as you try to avoid visits to doctors’ offices, you’ll skip it this year. However, it’s critical to have an influenza shot this year for the following reasons:

It’s possible to have COVID-19 and the flu at the same time, and it’s unknown what extra health risks that may pose.2

Hospital capacity may already be strained by COVID-19 cases, reducing capacity for those with influenza.

Testing for COVID-19 and the flu rely on the same chemical reagents, so flu testing could stress capacity for COVID tests.3

As in any year, having the flu dramatically increases your risk of heart attack — by up to six times in the first week after a flu diagnosis.4

 

References:

1 https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/09/418406/why-covid-19-means-you-need-flu-shot-year

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2020-2021.htm

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/09/418406/why-covid-19-means-you-need-flu-shot-year

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/highrisk/heartdisease.htm

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