Vaccine protects immune system

FLU SHOTS

The Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) continues to urge people to get a flu shot. While it doesn’t protect anyone from COVID-19, it will lower susceptibility to influenza, which can help to keep immune systems healthy. According to the CDC, getting vaccinated prevented approximately 4.4 million influenza illnesses during the 2018-2019 flu season.

Only about half of Americans get an annual flu vaccine, according to the CDC. As people get older, their risk for severe illnesses increases. Though the CDC recommends getting the flu shot in September or October, county health officials stress it’s not too late. An uptick in flu cases generally begins in the fall and peaks sometime between December and February, but the season can last until May. The sooner a person can get the vaccine during flu season, the better protected he or she will be.

The flu and COVID share some symptoms, including fever and body aches. Afflicted persons may not know right away which they have—or whether they’re experiencing both.

HCA recommends Orange Countians continue following state and CDC guidelines: wearing a mask in public places or when visiting with those outside one’s household; avoiding touching eyes, noses and mouths; frequent handwashing with soap and water, or, if those items are unavailable, using Get your flu shot on Nov. 16

hand sanitizer with 60 percent alcohol; maintaining a social distance of at least 6 feet; and staying home as much as possible. It further cautions that if people feel at all ill, they should stay away from others who might become infected.

“We encourage people to get their regular flu vaccine, and because the weather is getting colder, a lot of activity will move indoors, so we encourage people to be really careful and follow [public health guidelines],” Dr. Clayton Chau, director of the HCA and the county’s chief health officer, recently told the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Leisure World residents can get a standard-dose flu shot Nov. 16 from OptumCare at the popup clinic held in the Clubhouse 4 parking lot, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. The vaccine is free even if their insurance does not cover it or they are not a member of OptumCare. Interested parties can call (562) 799-7071 for more information.