photo courtesy of Pixabay user Victoria_rt
(SEATTLE) You’ve been hearing a lot of people talk about getting flu shots before we get too far into the Fall. And there’s good reason; experts at Oregon Health and Science University Monday released a prediction that flu cases this year could reach an all-time high.
And you don’t have to be an expert to figure out why.
The winter of 2020/2021 set records for its low flu counts, and that likely was because at that point, the pandemic was keeping most of us at home. If we were going out, we wore masks.
Last year, we saw the number of flu cases increase a little, but for the most part, we were all still mandated to wear masks.
Not only are there no mask mandates this winter, but the majority of us have ditched our masks.
The flu bug is likely kicking up its heels at the open invitation, says pharmacist Pat Hubbell.
“I do expect a larger impact from the influenza virus this season,” he tells KPTV in Portland. “We really want you to take this seriously so you can fight off that influenza virus if it shows up.”
Or when it shows up.
Last winter, flu cases lingered later into the Spring than usual, in part, because we may have dropped our guard.
And our masks.
