Hospitals urge Hoosiers to get their flu, COVID-19 booster shots

Lafayette Journal & Courier
·2 min read

LAFAYETTE, Ind. −Franciscan Health and Indiana University Health are urging Hoosiers to get their flu shots and COVID-19 boosters this season with an uptick in respiratory virus patients being seen.

"The bottom line is we are seeing record volumes in the Emergency departments,” Daniel Wickert, MD, vice president of medical affairs at Franciscan Health, said in a release. “We have broken capacity records over and over the past several days and it is for a host of reasons.”

Due to the high number of patients recently, waiting room times in the ER and urgent care centers are longer than usual.

A pharmacist readies a flu shot.
A pharmacist readies a flu shot.

“Providers will triage the most serious cases, so please be patient,” Wickert said in the release.

Reducing risk

Reducing the risk of contracting or spreading respiratory illnesses is important to everyone, but especially for children and older adults.

The Center for Disease Control recommends everyone older than 6 months receive an annual flu vaccine and take precautions such as staying home when sick and washing hands often.

“We have seen rates of respiratory illness, such as the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) spike much higher and much earlier this year, which is putting a strain on local healthcare systems,” Chris Mansfield, MD, chief medical officer for IU Health, said in the release. “Flu vaccines and COVID-19 boosters have been shown to reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death. It is important that everyone who is able to do so gets both vaccinations this year.”

Both Franciscan Health and IU Health offer flu shots and COVID-19 boosters, however a limit on the number of visitors is in place to further prevent the spreading of illnesses.

The Tippecanoe County Health Department and local pharmacies also offer these vaccines.

"In addition, wear masks, perform hand hygiene frequently, social distance in a crowd and avoid large gatherings if possible," the release says. "Wearing masks will help prevent respiratory diseases such as influenza and COVID-19."

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Being up to date on COVID and flu vaccines is critical this season