Not Too Early To Get Your Flu Shot, Health Experts Say

It might be the middle of September, but health experts say it’s not too early to get your flu shot.

Officials with the Tulsa Health Department say getting a flu shot is one of the best ways to stay healthy this flu season.

“We don’t really know what it is going to be like this year,” said Luisa Krug from Tulsa Health Department.  “It can be different from year to year.”

Tulsa Health Department representatives say flu season usually starts around October, but that doesn’t mean they won’t see cases before then.

“I actually saw some CDC recommendations that are recommending people get it before the end of October, so it is kind of right around the time to start getting your flu shot,” said Krug.

Accord to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, 2017 was the deadliest flu season on record in Oklahoma, with almost 5,000 hospitalizations and 291 deaths.

2/4/2018 Related Story:  CDC Reports More Flu Deaths, Record Hospitalizations

Tulsa Health Department employees are hoping those numbers don’t return and they are working to prevent it by continuing to educate the public on the importance of flu vaccines.

“Hopefully, people will remember that this is a serious thing and go get vaccinated,” Krug said.

The state health department says seven people tested positive for the flu last month after taking rapid flu tests. However, they caution that rapid flu tests can produce false positives because other viruses are being detected.

“You can be spreading the flu even before you start showing symptoms, so that is why it is really important to be vaccinated,” said Luisa Krug, Tulsa Health Department. 

“Someone could be sick that you are around, and you might not know it yet.”

The Tulsa Health Department isn’t offering flu shots just yet, but they say that information will be posted on Facebook as soon as they know when they will begin.