San Luis Obispo County Health officials are urging community members six months and older to get their annual vaccination against the flu.
Health officials say the flu vaccine is more important now during the pandemic both to prevent illness and inconvenience for individuals and to protect local health care system capacity.
“An increase in cases of the flu could lead to an added strain on our local hospitals as they respond to a surge in COVID-19,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, County Health Officer.
Health officials say those at a higher risk of contracting severe flu disease include individuals 65 years or older, people who smoke or have other underlying medical conditions, pregnant women, and children under five years old.
Health officials urge community members to get the vaccine before the end of October when the flu season is typically in full swing.
Flu vaccines are available for free at local pharmacies or with your health care provider. Community members can receive both the COVID-19 and flu shots during the same visit.
More updates on COVID-19 in SLO County can be found at ReadySLO.org.
