To prevent a “twindemic” of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza, San Mateo County Health is urging everyone over the age of 6 months to get a flu shot to protect themselves and their loved ones. Flu vaccination is part of a comprehensive public health strategy not only to reduce the burden of flu but also to preserve health care resources for care of patients with COVID-19. It takes a couple of weeks after vaccination for the body to build an immunity, so it’s best not to delay getting a shot.

Older adults, pregnant women, young adults, children, and people with other underlying health conditions are most at risk of getting the flu, but everyone six months and older should get vaccinated.

It takes two weeks after being immunized to be fully protected. The vaccine only keeps you fully protected for about one year, so it’s important to get vaccinated every year.

You can get flu shots from:

• Your primary health care provider
• Retail pharmacies and stores, with information and appointments available on MyTurn 

Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. There are other viruses that can cause these symptoms, but a high fever and bad cough usually indicate flu.

The incidence of Lyme Disease in San Mateo County is very low.

There were 24 reported cases from 1991 to 1999, ranging from 1 to 4 cases each year. Compare this number to over 9,000 to 16,000 nationwide cases reported each year during the same time period.