Roll up those sleeves! Health officials urge up-to-date shots ahead of winter flu season

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii health care officials are urging people to make sure they’re up-to-date with COVID and flu vaccinations ahead of the winter season.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna became available in mid-September.

The CDC says if you haven’t had a COVID vaccine in the last two months its important to get that new, updated formula because it targets the latest variants of the virus.

”Even though right now we’re in a phase where COVID is less active than it was during the summer, we know that at any time, we can see surges of COVID and we often do so during the holiday season,” said Dr. Sarah Kemble, state epidemiologist for the Hawaii Department of Health.

“So this is an important thing to look ahead and anticipate.”

The Healthcare Association of Hawaii says the latest COVID variant is less severe than previous variants, but it can still come with serious symptoms.

”While the virus is very transmissible still, it’s nowhere near as deadly as the Delta or the Omicron variants, so that is the good news,” said Hilton Raethel, CEO and president of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

“Now, people can still die from it, people can still end up in hospital from it, but there’s a lot less deaths and a lot less hospitalizations from the Omicron subvariants.”

If you do contract COVID, the protocol for isolating and staying home from work hasn’t changed since the earlier days of the pandemic.

”We know that a lot of people aren’t necessarily testing every time they get sick, so the general guidance is going to be true for COVID, the flu, RSV and other infections as well,” Kemble said.

“If you’re sick stay home. It’s important to protect other people from getting sick and also to take care of yourself so you get better.”

For more information on COVID guidelines and the latest recommendations on vaccines, click here.

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