Get your flu and COVID shot, recommends Witham infection control director

Gus Pearcy, The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.
·2 min read
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Dec. 6—Each year, vaccine makers assess the flu season to guide the formulation of next year's vaccine. Because last year's flu season was mild, the current vaccine may not be as effective, Witham Hospital Director of Infection Control Gene Davis said.

But get one anyway.

"I strongly, strongly recommend to everyone to still get their flu vaccine and their COVID vaccine and, if they're eligible, the COVID booster," Davis said.

Davis said the hospital's COVID unit is full and cases continue to rise in Boone County.

"We've seen an increase in COVID cases," he said adding the hospital decreased the COVID unit beds to eight. "We're running anywhere from 13 to 16 COVID patients right now in the hospital."

Three to four weeks ago, Davis said, the hospital only had about six patients with COVID.

At that time, the number of patients who were vaccinated but still contracted the virus, called "breakthrough" cases, was only an estimated 10%. Recently, he has evidence that the number of breakthrough cases was starting to rise.

Davis said the hospital is not testing for a certain strain of coronavirus, but the state and Centers for Disease Control are testing for the variants.

"I have not heard from anyone at that level that we have it here in our county," Davis said.

Witham has not changed its mask policy. All visitors, staff and employees must wear masks inside, regardless of vaccination status. As an expert of infection control, Davis said he gets asked often if this is just life from here on out.

"If you would've asked me that probably at the beginning of COVID, I would've said, 'Let's get through this thing. The day will come when we can go back to normal,'" he said. "But I don't know what normal is going to look like anymore."

Davis cautions people to realize there are several other viruses he's seeing now, in addition to flu or COVID-19.

"Make sure if you're sick, you stay home," he said. "Wash your hands and, if necessary, wear a mask."

He has not yet seen a case where a person has had both the flu and COVID-19.

Flu shots are available at the Boone County Health Department, various pharmacies or your general practitioner.