6 reasons why your child should get a flu shot in 2020-2021.

This is the first time in history children face the possibility of getting both the flu and Covid-19. 

6 Reasons Your Child Should Get a Flu Shot This Year

As the COVID pandemic continues to evolve, doctors and hospitals are working day and night to treat patients. Getting a flu shot is an easy and inexpensive way to help protect health workers' valuable time and resources, from personal protective equipment (PPE) to testing supplies. 

Of course, getting a flu vaccine during 2020-2021 can also help keep your family and community healthy. The Centers for Disease Control and Precention (CDC) estimates that 46,000 children were hospitalized with the flu during the 2018-2019 flu season. They also estimate that since 2010, flu-related hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years old have ranged from 7,000 to 26,000 in the United States.

Here, our experts share 6 reasons why it's more important than ever for children to receive the flu vaccine this year. 

  1. Minimizing flu cases will reduce stress on already overburdened healthcare systems. 

  2. Unlike COVID-19, the flu can actually be more dangerous in young children than adults.

  3. It’s safe, and it reduces your risk of getting a severe case of the flu.

  4. The more people who get flu shots, the less community spread — and the less risk for those more vulnerable to the illness.

  5. The flu and COVID-19 share many symptoms. Avoiding the flu may mean avoiding an unnecessary COVID scare.

  6. While there’s limited data on having both the flu and COVID-19 at once, it’s a potentially dangerous situation we want to avoid.    
Getting a flu vaccine is one important way families can help children prepare for an unprecedented winter. No matter what happens over the next few months, it's likley that families will need to make adjustments, including adapting holiday traditions to meet social distancing guidelines.
 
As with COVID-19, practicing good hygiene is the best way to prevent illness.

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