WHY THEY SAY FLU CASES THIS YEAR COULD BE A LOT WORSE THAN LAST YEAR. GOVERNOR HUTCHINSON SAYS SAFE MTYEASURES FOR THE PANDEMIC HELPED KEEP FLU CASES DOWN LAST YEAR, T BU SAYS JUST A FEYEW ARS AGO THE FLU KILLED MORE ARKANSS AN THAN EVER BEFORE AND HE HOPES TH'SAT NOT SOMETHING WE SEE THIS YEAR. (NATS...ROMERO SS AY "whatever you need to do.") TODAY GOVERNOR ASA HUTCHINSON AND STATE SECRETARY OF HEALTH DR. JOSE ROMERO GOT THEIR FLU SHOTS AND SAY YOU CAN TO, R FO FREE AT ANY HEALTH DEPARTMENT UNIT IN THE STATE. HUTCHINSON SAYS THE 2017 - 2018 FLU SEASON WAS THE DEADLIEST IN ARKANSAS WITH 228 FLU RELATED DEATHS. HE'S CONCERNED EVEN OUTHGH LAST YEAR THERE WERE ONLY 23 FLU RELATED DEATHS ACCORDING TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. <> "And what was differt en last year is that we had a lot of public health precautions social distancing wearing a mas k, and everyone was careful in and so that had the beneficial impact in ter ms of the flu as well as preventive and reducing COVID cases." DR. ROMERO IS ENCOURAGING FLU SHOTS AND COVID-19 VACCINATIONS FOR EVERYONE WHO'S ELIGIBLE. <> "we don't want to have to have 'twin-demics', spikes with both COVID and with the flu. We have that potential to happen this year as we've done away with social distancing and masking." "So children six months and older can get t he vaccine there are formulations for them." "children, infants, adolescents and adults, they should receive the vaccine they should receive it now before flu season actually starts. We don't want to put an ext ra stress on our healthreca system." THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORTED A MINIMAL NBER UM OF FLU CASES IN THE STATA E FEW WEEKS AGO. THE LATEST REPORT IS EXPECTED TBE O RELEASED SOMETIME TH IS EVENING. HUTCHINSON SAYS PLANNI NG IS ALSO UNDERWAY FOR DISTRIBUTINGFI PZER VACCINES FOR KIDS 5 11 TO YEARS OLD IF THEY'RE FULLY APPROVED BY THE áFDA
Arkansas Health Department reports first flu-related death of the season
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Updated: 5:08 PM CST Nov 30, 2021
The Arkansas Health Department reported the state's first flu-related death of the season Tuesday.The person who died was age 65 or older, according to a provisional report. The department does not release the location or other information about people who died from influenza.Twenty-four Arkansans died from the flu during the 2020-21 season, according to the ADH. Flu season runs from roughly October to September each year.Last season's total was the smallest in five years, a positive side-effect of the mask-wearing and social distancing Arkansans did to slow the spread of the coronavirus.Urging Flu ShotsArkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has been urging people to get vaccinated against the flu.Hutchinson and Dr. Jose Romero, Arkansas Secretary of Health, received their flu vaccines publicly in October. They said it's important that Arkansas' focus on COVID-19 doesn't lead to people overlooking the threat of influenza. "We can't neglect the importance of the flu shot as well," Hutchinson said. "We don't want to have 'twindemics.'""It is safe to get the flu and COVID vaccine at the same time. It can be your first, second or potentially third dose of the COVID vaccine that you can get at the same time as your flu. The side effects will be similar. You may have a sore arm, a headache and feel tired," Dr. Marti Sharkey, Fayetteville Health officer, told 40/29 News this fall.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Health Department reported the state's first flu-related death of the season Tuesday.
The person who died was age 65 or older, according to a provisional report. The department does not release the location or other information about people who died from influenza.
Twenty-four Arkansans died from the flu during the 2020-21 season, according to the ADH. Flu season runs from roughly October to September each year.
Last season's total was the smallest in five years, a positive side-effect of the mask-wearing and social distancing Arkansans did to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Urging Flu Shots
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has been urging people to get vaccinated against the flu.
Hutchinson and Dr. Jose Romero, Arkansas Secretary of Health, received their flu vaccines publicly in October. They said it's important that Arkansas' focus on COVID-19 doesn't lead to people overlooking the threat of influenza.
"We can't neglect the importance of the flu shot as well," Hutchinson said. "We don't want to have 'twindemics.'"
"It is safe to get the flu and COVID vaccine at the same time. It can be your first, second or potentially third dose of the COVID vaccine that you can get at the same time as your flu. The side effects will be similar. You may have a sore arm, a headache and feel tired," Dr. Marti Sharkey, Fayetteville Health officer, told 40/29 News this fall.
