In an effort to prevent wide spread illness due to COVID-19 and seasonal flu, County of Santa Cruz Public Health is urging everyone six months and older to get vaccinated for flu early before the virus starts circulating.
- Just like wearing a mask, getting a flu shot is an easy and safe action we can take to keep ourselves and others healthy during the pandemic.
- We may not have a vaccine for COVID-19 yet, but we do have one for flu that is effective and safe.
- This season, getting a flu vaccine is especially important because it will protect against flu and help save limited medical resources for COVID-19 patients.
- Influenza and COVID-19 share many symptoms. Preventing influenza means fewer people will need to seek medical care and testing for possible COVID-19 or influenza.
- CDC estimates that flu causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and 12,000-61,000 deaths each season. While it’s always important to minimize this toll, it’s especially important this season. A bad flu season combined with COVID-19 can put our front-line workers and you at higher risk for illness.
- Essential workers, including nurses and doctors, are doing their part to keep us healthy. Now it’s time for us to do our part by rolling up our sleeves and getting vaccinated.
- Visit our COVID-19 webpage for data and resouces on COVID-19 within the local community.
People at Higher Risk
While flu vaccination is always important, this season getting vaccinated is even more important for certain people who are at higher risk of being exposed to flu and COVID-19, or developing serious complications from flu and COVID-19. This includes:
- People 65 years and older
- People with underlying medical conditions like lung disease, heart disease, neurologic disorders, weakened immune systems, and diabetes
- African Americans, Latinx and Native populations who are disproportionally affected by chronic medical conditions
- Caregivers and residents in long-term care facilities
- Essential workers who have frequent interactions with each other and/or the public
- Getting vaccinated yourself will also protect your loved ones, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with chronic health conditions
COVID/Flu Resources
Date updated: 10/13/2020