Get that Flu Shot? Docs Say It Could be a Deadly Year in WA

Lots of talk about immunizations at this time of year. Health officials say it's time for a flu shot since the flu season hits the Yakima area by mid-October. If you get the shot they say you'll be ahead of an expected rise in transmission this fall according to Dr. John Lynch, a UW Medicine infectious disease specialist.

OVER 50? WANT TO AVOID A HOSPITAL STAY? OR WANT TO AVOID DEATH?

“We know that influenza vaccination prevents a lot of different things: infection, but also ER visits and clinic visits, hospitalizations, ending up in the ICU, and death,” says Lynch, an associate medical director at Harborview Medical Center. State officials say the 2022-2023 flu season was the deadliest in five years.

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EVEN FIVE KIDS DIED LAST YEAR IN WA STATE

A total of 262 Washingtonians were reported to have died from the flu, including 257 adults and five children, which is a tenfold increase compared to the 2021-2022 flu.
And just around the corner Lynch says he expects an updated COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WILL YOU GET THE UPDATED COVID SHOT?

The latest data is “indicating a really good match between the newest variants that we're starting to see emerge." He says information about age-or risk-based eligibility for the updated vaccine should be available soon.
State health officials say forecasting when the flu or COVID-19 will peak in Washington state isn't easy but they say if you are prepared you may be able to avoid sickness this season.