Flu shots more important than ever

SANDUSKY — The Erie County Health Department encourages people each year to get the flu vaccine. "You will hear that the flu vaccine is more important this year than in previous years from anyone involved in health care," said Shari Greene, the department's chief health planning officer. The vaccine won't protect people from the virus that causes COVID-19, but it can help in other ways. "Our concern is being able to differentiate between influenza and COVID-19," Greene said. "They're both respiratory infections that present with similar symptoms." The possibility of dual infection, when a person has both the flu and COVID-19 at the same time, also worries health experts since it's unknown how the viruses might interact in a patient. The flu also hospitalizes thousands of people each year, stressing medical resources if the winter brings a second COVID-19 wave, as some experts believe. Greene said the more people who receive the vaccine, the fewer hospitalizations and doctor visits people will need, saving vital resources during a pandemic. The flu also claims thousands of lives each year, which Greene said a vaccine could prevent since a vaccine is readily available. "It was close to 60,000 deaths last year," Greene said. "Those are preventable deaths from the aspect that we found many of the individuals who succumbed did not receive the flu vaccine." Greene said it's vital for vulnerable people, including children 6 months and older, people with chronic illness and the elderly, 65 years or older, to get the vaccine. "The elderly should receive the high dose of the vaccine that is manufactured specifically for their age group to boost their immune system," Greene said. But everyone should get the vaccine, not just the vulnerable. "Getting the vaccine protects the people around you, too," Greene said. "We are hoping to keep our population healthy so that schools and businesses can stay open." In preparation for the increased demand, the health department ordered more vaccine doses than usual to its health center on Superior Street. The vaccine is also available at doctor offices and pharmacies, but the health center will provide vaccines for all age groups. "Some pharmacies have limits on the ages they can give vaccines, but the health department we vaccinate anyone from 6-months-old to the elderly," Greene said. "We're the one-stop-shop for a family that all wants to get vaccinated."