ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, Ill. — As flu season approaches, health officials are feeling a sense of deja vu as the delta variant continues to spread quickly across the United States, creating the potential for a “twindemic”. The term was coined last year as flu season overlapped with the spread of the coronavirus.
Last year flu season ended up being virtually non-existent. The CDC attributes that in some part to the fact that masks were required nearly everywhere, and social distancing was being enforced.
As fewer mask mandates exist going into this flu season, it’s worrisome for Chief Operating Officer Janet Hill with the Rock Island County Health Department.
“This flu season is very worrisome for us. Last year the flu season was virtually nonexistent because people were really careful about getting their flu vaccine and then wearing their mask and watching their distance. This year people are not as cognizant,” Hill said.
Because so many people were home bound this time last year, alongside those mask mandates, the CDC says people are likely to have slightly less natural immunity to the flu this year.
“Our health care staff and hospitals are stretched very thin at this point. The healthcare workers are exhausted, and both of these are preventable at this time,” says Hill.
Hill also wants people to know you can receive both the flu shot and your COVID-19 vaccine. You can get them at the same time, or different times. There are no time restrictions on receiving the two shots.