"Get your flu vaccine before you go trick or treating:" Colorado health officials say now is the time to get shot
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment encourages Coloradans to get their flu shot now, to be better protected heading into the holiday season.
"Get your flu vaccine before you go trick or treating," said Heather Roth, Immunization Branch Chief at CDPHE. "Getting it as soon as possible will help you build the protection you need heading into the holiday season."
Because many strong, healthy adults and kids who get the flu survive, people tend to underestimate the flu virus, but not everyone survives.
"There are some groups, people that we all know right; people 65 and older, people under the age of 5, pregnant people and people with immunocompromised conditions, can have a much harder journey and end up in the hospital," said Roth.
According to CDPHE, there are already 8 hospitalizations in Colorado and the peak of flu season hasn't even begun. Influenza is unpredictable so it could be too early to tell if this season will be severe or not in Colorado. Still, modeling from the southern hemisphere doesn't paint a good picture for Colorado.
"They had an earlier flu season with more lab-confirmed cases this past season than in the past 5 years," said Roth.
The past two flu seasons in Colorado have been less severe and many Coloradans have already been vaccinated this year. CDPHE estimates more than 650,000 have gotten the vaccine, but it's not too late if you haven't gone in yet.
"If they are due for a COVID Omicron booster dose they can get that and their flu vaccine on the same day. So, you can roll up two sleeves and get it done in one visit," said Roth.
The flu vaccine is free for most people with insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid.
You can use the CDPHE website to search for a flu vaccine near you.
