URBANA — Local health officials are urging more people to get flu shots to arm themselves against an upcoming flu season that could be brutal.
Response to flu-shot clinics in the area this year has been down, though Christie Clinic has one more remaining Saturday and officials there are hoping for a good turnout.
Carle Health’s flu-shot clinics in several communities in the area have concluded for the upcoming season, and they ended up serving only about half the patients they did last year, according to Dr. Robert Healy, Carle’s chief medical quality officer.
Response to flu-shot clinics last year was exceptionally high, possibly due to the much-publicized threat of a double hit from flu and COVID-19 and the strain that could place on hospitals, Healy said.
There’s been less discussion about that this year, though the threat of resurging influenza combined with COVID-19 infections remains a concern, he said.
Christie Clinic planned 12 drive-thru flu clinics for this fall and had to cancel one due to weather.
“We are slightly below the number of vaccines administered last year when averaging each clinic,” said Christie spokeswoman Melissa Tepovich.
Christie Clinic’s one remaining flu-shot clinic runs from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Christie facility at 1801 W. Windsor Road, C.
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Deputy Administrator Awais Vaid said his agency doesn’t have a good tracking mechanism for the number of people getting flu shots locally — but response to flu vaccine in Champaign County is believed to be in the 50 percent range.
“It is very important for people to get the flu shot this year,” Vaid said. “Since the flu season was very mild last year, there is concern that it could be much worse this year. We encourage everyone to get the flu shot as soon as possible, especially individuals with underlying conditions and the elderly. We don’t want anyone to be in a situation where they get infected with the flu and COVID at the same time. That can be very concerning.”
Healy said it’s possible that more people turned to pharmacies for flu shots this year after getting their COVID-19 vaccinations there.
Carle is urging anyone who still hasn’t gotten a flu shot to seek one out at a pharmacy, he said, and it’s also still possible at Carle to combine a doctor’s appointment for another purpose with a flu shot.
It’s also possible that fewer people have gotten a flu shot this year because last year’s season was mild due to remote learning, working from home and people wearing masks and avoiding gatherings, Healy said.
But, other than the masks, those same protective measures aren’t in place this year, Healy said.
“Typically, we’ve seen in communities that influenza spreads among school-age children and they bring it home,” he said.
Wearing masks to help protect against COVID-19 should provide some protection against flu, Healy said. But it’s also very important to also get the flu vaccine and resume such protective measures as frequent hand-washing and covering coughs and sneezes, he said.
COVID-19 continues to put a strain on the health system, and that’s not going away, Healy said.
Adding a lot of flu hospitalizations, “it’ll be definitely more pressure on the system. That’s why getting the vaccine is so critical,” he said.
For those who remain unvaccinated for COVID-19 and flu, and for those who still need flu shots and a COVID-19 booster, it’s safe to get both at once, Healy said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that the upcoming flu season could be severe, due to fewer mitigation measures in place and reduced immunity following last year’s record-low number of flu infections.
The CDC advises nearly everyone over 6 months old to get a flu shot by the end of October.
