7. Get your flu shot
Health officials are concerned about an influx of flu and COVID-19 cases overwhelming hospitals. In the 2018-2019 flu season, 490,600 Americans were hospitalized for the flu, according to the CDC.
Public health experts say this is not the year to skip the flu vaccine. While measures to prevent COVID-19, including mask-wearing, washing hands, and social distancing, can also protect against the flu, the vaccine is especially important—and safe, doctors say.
Though many people claim that the flu shot “gave them the flu,” it is not possible to get infected with the influenza virus from the vaccine itself, Dr. Meyer says. “The vaccine is made up of inactivated virus and is designed to ‘tickle’ the immune system to respond to the real thing when it sees it,” she explains. “The most common side effect from the flu shot is soreness or redness at the site of the injection, which resolves within a day or two.”
The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months old and up. Talk to your doctor about finding a vaccine near you.
8. Differentiate between flu, colds, and COVID-19
Many people will likely struggle to differentiate between the flu, the common cold, and COVID-19, all of which have similar symptoms.
For example, both COVID-19 and the flu can cause fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle pain, or body aches, as well as vomiting and diarrhea (though these last two are more common in children). Meanwhile, colds may be milder than the flu and are more likely to involve a runny or stuffy nose. One difference, however, is that COVID-19 is associated with a loss of taste and smell.
So, if you or someone in your family comes down with any of these symptoms, what should you do?
“First, you should stay away from others as much as possible and perform hand washing before you make contact with your face,” Dr. Ogbuagu says. “And certainly go see a doctor or to the hospital if you have serious symptoms, such as a high fever or shortness of breath. Otherwise, getting a COVID-19 test at a testing facility near you would help to define what type of respiratory illness you have and also how to advise people you had been in contact with.”
Parents, Dr. Meyer adds, will need to contact their children’s pediatricians about these symptoms because otherwise their children likely won’t be able to return to school.
“I would also add that people who are older and have underlying medical conditions should have a low threshold to seek care for any of these symptoms,” she says. “Earlier is better, especially for influenza, as we have antiviral medications that work if given within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms.”