For the past couple of years, COVID-19 has been top of mind, but now as we head into the winter months attention is turning back again to the flu season.
“COVID made everybody smart about germs,” says Randy Harrington, owner of Price Rite Pharmacy in Bozeman.
Harrington says he and his staff are ready for the upcoming flu season.
“The biggest thing we do is pre-order, pre-book the vaccine,” says Harrington.
Dr. Peter Bulger, an infectious disease physician at Bozeman Health has been watching the southern hemisphere to help predict how our flu season will go.
“This year we're actually expecting a pretty heavy flu season,” says Bulger.
In the past two flu seasons, COVID protocols like mask-wearing and hand washing have protected us from the flu virus.
“Those same things I know a lot of us are getting tired of but, they really do work, wearing the masks, staying distanced from people,” says Bulger.
Over at Price Rite, people have already been coming in for their vaccine.
“We’ve seen people coming in, it wasn’t anything like the COVID rush,” says Harrington.
Experts recommend getting the flu shot or getting both a COVID booster and flu shot at the same time.
“Can I get my flu shot or my COVID booster, even my initial COVID shots at the same time, and there is very clear data that this is both safe and the vaccines are still effective,” says Bulger.
For more information on flu season and getting vaccinated, visit these resources:
