JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT COVID MIGHT BE OVER…BRACE YOURSELF: FLU IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A COMEBACK THIS SEASON. HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY ALL THE PRECAUTIONS WE TOOK TO KEEP COVID AT BAY ALSO STOPPED THE SPREAD OF THE FLU. NOW, AS WE REMOVE THE MASKS, DITCH THE DISTANCE AND RESTART THE SOCIALIZING, WE ALSO CREATE NEW OPENINGS FOR INFLUENZA. U.S. HEALTH OFFICIALS EXPECT A BUSY FLU SEASON. IN PART, THEY’RE LOOKING TO AUSTRALIA, WHICH SAW ITS WORST FLU SEASON IN FIVE YEARS, WITH CASES STARTING EARLIER THAN USUAL, TOO. THEY SAY THAT MAKES GETTING YOUR ANNUAL FLU SHOT MORE IMPORTANT THIS FALL.
THE FLU SHOT RAMPS UP YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. IT EXPOSES IT TO WHAT IT EXPECTS THE UPCOMING FLU WILL BE. YOUR BODY IS JUST GIVEN LITTLE BITS OF BROKEN UP PIECES OF FLU AND IT BUILDS ANTIBODIES. WHEN YOU GET THE ACTUAL FLU VIRUS IN YOUR SYSTEM, YOUR BODY CAN RAPIDLY DEVELOP A BETTER IMMUNE RESPONSE TO IT, FIGHTING IT OFF BETTER. TO GET YOUR SHOT, CALL THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, OR YOUR DOCTOR. ALSO, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS THE MODERNA BIVALENT COVID BOOSTER AVAILABLE. IT NOT ONLY PROTECTS FROM THE ORIGINAL COVID VIRUS BUT ALSO THE OMICRON, B-A 4 AND B-A 5 VARIANT.
