‘Make sure you’re protected against the flu’: Officials urge residents to get flu shot this year

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Health officials are urging residents to receive their flu shot this year after a tough flu season just ended in Australia, serving as a potential sign of what is to come over the next few months.

While flu season severity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been less-than-normal — partially due to the uptake of precautions like mask wearing and frequent hand washing — experts expressed concern that this year could be different.

“Last year we were going into flu season not knowing if flu was around or not; This year we know flu is back,” influenza specialist Richard Webby, of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, told the Associated Press.

The growing alarm among experts comes after Australia saw its worst flu season in five years, potentially foreshadowing what is to come in the Northern Hemisphere, especially as measures like mask wearing have been largely abandoned.

“This year we will have a true influenza season like we saw before the pandemic,” Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Washington University in St. Louis, told the Associated Press.

People over the age of 65 are especially vulnerable to the flu, and this year pharmacies and doctors are offering a stronger shot for older age groups in an effort to bolster protection.

While these special doses will often be offered based on a patient’s birth date, those seeking flu shots within that age group are encouraged to ask for the higher-dose shots.

New York City Health Department Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan suggested residents throughout the five boroughs receive both flu shots and a COVID-19 booster if they are eligible.

“As we head into fall and winter, the best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 and influenza is to be up-to-date on your vaccinations,” Vasan wrote on Twitter. “The flu vaccine has protected New Yorkers for decades and this is the perfect time of year to pair it with a COVID-19 booster if eligible.”

Both shots can be received at the same time. The shots can be taken in different arms to reduce soreness.

Updated COVID-19 booster doses are available to all people ages 12 and older who last received a dose at least two months ago.