Fall is officially here, and with that comes the start of the flu season and an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
As temperatures begin to drop, and as we begin to enjoy indoor activities to escape the cold weather, the chance of coming in contact with germs and viruses skyrockets since "droplets that may contain a virus can hang in the air for longer periods of time and can spread further," according to the Mayo Clinic.
Young children, older adults, pregnant people and people with certain health conditions, are at higher risk of becoming very sick from contracting the flu, while older adults and people with underlying health conditions are at a higher risk of complications due to COVID-19, according to the Washington State Department of Health website.
To avoid contracting the flu or COVID-19, Washington state's Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise that people get ahead of the illnesses and get vaccinated against the viruses.
Where and when to get a flu shot
According to the DOH website, it is recommended that everyone six months or older get a flu vaccine every year, including people who are nursing or pregnant. For adults 65 years old and older, it is recommended to speak with a healthcare provider about the flu vaccine and other important vaccines.
Since the flu vaccine takes about two weeks to protect you from the flu, the DOH website recommends getting vaccinated before winter, as early as October. The vaccine, which is 40%-60% effective, will keep many people from contracting the flu, but there will still be groups of people who will get the flu but will have mild symptoms, according to the CDC.
Children under the age of 19 are eligible to receive a free flu vaccination in the state of Washington, according to the DOH website.
Flu vaccinations are available at your local doctor's office or pharmacy and are free with most health insurance plans. Check vaccines.gov to find the closest pharmacy that offers the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccinations.
COVID-19 testing sites and vaccinations
Although the U.S. government officially declared the end of the pandemic on May 5, 2023 and the spread of COVID-19 has declined as of recently, it is still an ongoing issue in the U.S.
According to the CDC, as of Oct. 1, the rate of COVID-19 has been declining in 45 states including Washington. The CDC's wastewater monitoring program shows the current presence of the virus by state. For Sept. 29 through Oct. 5, it shows Washington state levels as "high."
While the number of COVID-19 related deaths has declined since 2023, there is still a chance of contracting and spreading it to others.
The best way to prevent falling extremely ill or becoming hospitalized due to COVID-19 is to get vaccinated. There are currently two updated vaccinations available, the mRNA vaccines which are available for people 6 months or older and the protein subunit vaccines which is available to people 12 years or older, according to the DOH website.
The protein subunit vaccines contain proteins of the virus that causes COVID-19 and another ingredient that helps your immune system respond to the protein of the virus in the future, while the mRNA vaccines use laboratory made mRNA to teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers our immune response to produc antibodies that will protect you from getting sick from that germ in the future, according to the CDC website.
Along with getting vaccinated, it is important to also get tested if you feel sick in order to be able to identify the reason for you illness and to be treated properly, according to the DOH.
There are several free testing kiosks around Washington State that offer COVID-19 testing for everyone no matter their age. The testing kiosks dispense free at-home COVID-19 rapid test as well as COVID-19 PCR tests and flu self-tests that are supposed to be returned to the kiosk. Results from the PCR tests and flu self-tests that are returned to the kiosk are available within 24 hours to 48 hours, according to an email response from Raechel Sims, DOH's public information officer.
The U.S. government recently began offering up to four free at-home COVID-19 testing kits per household again. Visit the USPS website to place an order for a set of COVID-19 test. At-home tests are also available for sale at pharmacies and retail locations.