DANVILLE, Pa. — As the cooler weather starts to come around, that's typically followed by sneezing, runny noses, and coughing. Geisinger officials say the best way to avoid those symptoms is by getting COVID-19 and flu shots.
"It should not be dismissed that not only flu season is coming up, but COVID-19 cases in our community are also increasing, and this is also a timeline for RSV," said Dr. Alison Brodginski, Geisinger's northeast director of infectious diseases.
Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration approved new COVID-19 booster shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone ages six months and older get one.
"Essentially, if it's been more than two months since you've had any type of COVID vaccine, you're likely going to be eligible for this," Dr. Brodginski said.
Dr. Brodginski says in the United States last year, more than 650,000 people were hospitalized from the flu.
"Considering we had an early spike in influenza last year, which was in November, again, it's really important to stay ahead of this. Make sure you get that vaccine in time before we start seeing influenza start to spike in our community."
Geisinger kicks off its Super Saturday drive-thru flu shot clinics at several locations on Saturday.
"September, October, this is the best time to really get in there to get that flu shot so that when flu starts spiking, you have that immunity built," Dr. Brodginski added.
CLICK HERE for a complete list of Geisinger flu shot events.
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