OGDENSBURG -- What Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center recognizes as “National Influenza Vaccination Week” (NIVW) is Dec. 6 to 12, and they are joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by providing resources to help promote influenza (flu) vaccination in high-risk populations. 

NIVW says all Americans 6 months and older should get their annual flu vaccine, if they have not already.  Since COVID-19 and flu could spread simultaneously this winter, this week serves to remind people that there is still time to get a flu vaccine to protect against flu illness and serious flu complications, CHMC said.

People living with certain chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, or asthma, are at higher risk of developing severe flu complications, like pneumonia, bronchitis, and other illnesses that can lead to hospitalization or even death. Even if your chronic condition is well-controlled, flu can make your condition worse -- it can trigger asthma attacks, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, and make your blood sugar harder to manage, CHMC said.

Every year, flu is responsible for millions of illnesses, tens of thousands of hospitalizations, and thousands of deaths. According to the CDC, last flu season, 9 out of 10 adults hospitalized with flu had at least one reported underlying medical condition. The most commonly reported underlying medical conditions in patients hospitalized for flu include heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and chronic lung disease, CHMC said.

A flu shot reduces your risk of getting sick with flu. Still, even if getting a flu shot does not entirely prevent flu infection, some studies show that it can help reduce the severity of illness and prevent complications resulting in hospitalization and death. Getting vaccinated against flu is always extra important for people with certain chronic conditions, but as the U.S. battles the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever, CHMC said.

Flu and COVID-19 together could overwhelm our medical systems. A flu shot this season can help protect you from flu and reduce your risk of needing medical care for flu-related complications. We can all do our part to reduce the spread of flu and protect our loved ones and our community from flu, saving medical resources to care for COVID-19 patients, CHMC said. 

There’s still time to get a flu shot. “Flu activity is still low right now, which means it’s a good time to get vaccinated,” Dr. Dan Jernigan, Influenza Division director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a news release from CHMC. “We don’t know what this season will bring, but we know that a flu vaccine can reduce the risk from flu. This winter, part of our preparedness strategy is to take flu out of the equation as much as possible. Getting a flu vaccine can help do that, so there is one less thing to worry about.” 

Hundreds of millions of flu shots have been safely given in the United States for decades.