Everyone Should Get A Flu Shot: Riverside County Health Officials

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County health officials Thursday reported 188 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and six additional deaths tied to the virus, and they also held a news briefing in preparation of flu season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the briefing, officials urged all residents to get a flu shot.

Vaccines against influenza "are very well tolerated" and cause very few side effects, said Dr. Andy Williams, senior clinical pharmacist at Riverside University Health System. There are "very few reasons why you should not receive one," he said.

The vaccination push by health officials comes against a backdrop of concerns over keeping the local economy open, and keeping area hospitals running smoothly.

Part of the state's criteria for further reopening are COVID-19 hospitalization rates, which have continued to decline well below state thresholds for the "red tier" that Riverside County is currently in.

Still, if flu and COVID-19 hospitalizations rise as the weather cools, capacity could become an issue.

A flu shot, the RUHS health officials said, is a simple, safe way to keep flu-related hospitalizations down and people out of emergency rooms.

"We are encouraging everyone to get a flu shot, and get it early," said RUHS's Dr. Ron McColm.

Following a flu vaccination, it takes about two weeks for the body's immune system to become fully "optimized," McColm said, which explains why some people still contract the flu within a few weeks after vaccination, he said.

The county officials said the 2020 flu shot is safe for people 6 months and older, including people with egg allergies. The vaccine is a quadrivalent and includes both A&B strains, and county officials don't anticipate a vaccine shortage.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the 2019-2020 flu season started Oct. 1 and ended April 4 in the United States. During that period, the CDC reported 39 to 56 million flu illnesses in the U.S., with 18 to 26 million flu-related medical visits. Between 400,000 and 740,000 flu hospitalizations were reported, and there were 24,000 to 62,000 flu deaths.

In Riverside County, there were eight flu-related deaths in the 2019-20 season, down one from the previous year, according to Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser.

Communities of color and people with co-morbidities are at highest risk of suffering serious flu and COVID-19 complications, health officials said.

While COVID-19 and flu symptoms can be similar, some of the more distinguishing COVID-19 symptoms are loss of taste and smell, and greater shortness of breath.

So far this season, flu numbers are low. The same health precautions that protect against COVID-19 spread — face coverings, social distancing, frequent hand washing — also protect against flu spread, officials said.

It's hoped that the measures are already helping prevent flu outbreaks.

"The numbers are low, and we are hoping to stay low," Kaiser said.

Many clinics across the county offer free flu shots. The following COVID-19 testing sites will offer free shots on the following dates:
Oct. 16 — Lake Elsinore Stadium testing site
Oct. 19 — Sears testing site in Riverside
Oct. 26 — Indio Fairgrounds testing site

As county officials prep for flu season, COVID-19 continues to infect residents. The total number of COVID-19 cases now stands at 57,883, along with 1,179 deaths, according to RUHS.

The number of patients hospitalized countywide for treatment of the virus totaled 141 as of Thursday, nine fewer than Wednesday. The number includes 40 patients in intensive care units — two fewer than the day before.