{"id":3292,"date":"2020-09-30T10:09:35","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T17:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/?p=3292"},"modified":"2023-08-09T02:27:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T09:27:34","slug":"why-getting-a-flu-shot-is-even-more-important-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/why-getting-a-flu-shot-is-even-more-important-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Getting a Flu Shot Is Even More Important This Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

My daughter sent me this meme other day:
\n2020:<\/em>
\n January, February, March, quarantine, December<\/em><\/p>\n

Not the funniest meme out there, but it sure sums up the way time is passing. It\u2019s hard to believe that after the past many months of the COVID-19 pandemic, it\u2019s time to get your flu shot again this fall.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re ready to protect you and your family, and it\u2019s easier than ever with our drive-through flu shot locations. Everyone 6 months and older needs a flu shot, and this year, it matters more than ever! It\u2019s crucial to protect as much of the population as possible from the flu this winter, as we\u2019re also facing an expected surge of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why:<\/strong>
\n\u2022 It\u2019s not yet understood how the combination of COVID-19 and influenza (the \u201cflu\u201d) will affect our population. People may become very ill if they get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time or one after the other.
\n\u2022 Influenza is a serious illness and having it may weaken the immune system\u2019s ability to respond to COVID-19. Having the flu could also increase your risk of getting COVID-19.
\n\u2022 While social distancing will help decrease the rates of infection for both viruses, it\u2019s still important to get a flu shot. Staying away from people who may be sick and washing hands frequently certainly helps, and a flu shot gives added protection!
\n\u2022 Children may spread the flu virus to elderly or other at-risk relatives. As schools consider even partial reopening, we need to vaccinate children to protect the population and prevent them from bringing the flu home to their families.<\/p>\n

Avoiding confusion between COVID and flu
\n<\/strong>Decreasing the rate of influenza cases has many benefits in the fight against COVID-19. These 2 illnesses have similar symptoms, making them potentially confusing to diagnose. If we can reduce the number of people with the flu.
\n\u2022 There\u2019ll be fewer times when we\u2019re unsure if a person has COVID-19 or influenza.
\n\u2022 We\u2019ll preserve our COVID-19 testing and treating capabilities.
\n\u2022 We\u2019ll be able to reserve hospital beds for our sickest patients.
\n\u2022 Fewer essential workers will miss work due to illness.<\/p>\n

Getting a flu vaccine is safe
\n<\/strong>Our medical centers are offering drive-through flu shot locations for you to get vaccinated right from your own vehicle \u2013 a shot done safely (but without the shake and side of fries!) And if you need to come in for care, you will be able to get your flu shot then. We\u2019re paying strict attention to social distancing, masks, and hygiene to keep you healthy.<\/p>\n

I get my flu vaccine every year \u2013 and so do my 3 children. I want your children to be as protected as my own, and getting a flu shot today is the most important thing you can do to stay healthy this winter. In this challenging year it can feel as parents that there\u2019s little we can control \u2013 but this is one step you can take to keep your family safe!<\/p>\n

Resources for Parents:
\n<\/strong>My Doctor Online has a Cold and Flu website<\/a> with expert advice \u2013 use it to find the nearest flu vaccine, treat symptoms at home, and know when to call your doctor.
\nCenters for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> is an excellent and trustworthy source of more information about flu and the flu vaccine.
\nAlso in KP Thriving Families Blog:
\nQuestions Parents Ask about the Flu Vaccine<\/a>
\n7 Things Pediatricians Want You to Know About the Flu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not the funniest meme out there, but it sure sums up the way time is passing. It\u2019s hard to believe that after the past many months of the COVID-19 pandemic, it\u2019s time to get your flu shot again this fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[106],"tags":[566,156,116,157,229],"class_list":["post-3292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-issues","tag-covid-19","tag-flu-shot","tag-flu-vaccine","tag-influenza","tag-vaccines","ages-all-ages"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1691573255:8"],"_edit_last":["8"],"slide_template":[""],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_custom_body_class":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["106"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["294"],"_thumbnail_id":["3304"],"wpfp_favorites":["66"],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.760000000000002;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.379999999999995;}"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1691573254"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3292"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3318,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3292\/revisions\/3318"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}