Health officials urge everyone to get flu shot amid pandemic

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) - It is hard to imagine the pandemic getting any worse, but something that could do just that is an outbreak of the flu.  

Health officials say preventing that from happening is as simple as getting a flu shot.

Hospitals, clinics and other health care providers are making it easier than ever to get a flu shot.  

Members were taking advantage of the free flu shot drive through on Wednesday at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in South San Jose.  

Among those first in line this morning and eager to share the experience was San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.  

"I didn't even feel it, it's absolutely easy and it's the best thing we can do right now to protect the community," Liccardo said. 

The mayor and other officials say it's especially important for everyone to get vaccinated against the flu as soon as possible.  

They worry that even a typical flu season could test hospital capacity at a time when they are bracing, and planning for a surge of patients resulting from the recent surge in COVID-19.

"And as we've seen the number of infections rocket upward, we're also starting to see a steady increase in admissions in the ICU," Liccardo said.

Santa Clara County has at least 150 people in the hospital with COVID-19, accounting for a 10-percent spike in hospitalizations.  

So far, the flu hasn't been much of a factor but hospitals say more cases are inevitable and  are reviewing their surge plans to make sure there are enough beds to go around, says Valley Medical Center's Dr. Sanjay Kurani.

"But we expect flu to effect the community and it's generally not healthy patients who come in with flu that end up getting admitted, it's those who have chronic diseases that end up getting the flu, it tips them over and they end up coming into the hospital. It's something we actually prepare for every year," Kurani said.

There is no shortage of flu vaccine, although it's not yet clear which strain of flu virus will emerge. 

There is some evidence masking and other measures taken against COVID might reduce the spread of flu but the mayor and others say the best way to guard against the flu and help hospitals take care of people sick with COVID is to get a flu shot as soon as possible.

"By insuring that we're not spreading the flu and we're not getting the flu. We're keeping people out of the ER, out of the hospitals when we know we're going to need that capacity for the significant surge that we're experiencing now with coronavirus patients," Liccardo said.

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