Those wishing to get the flu shot can do so through their GP, Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU), participating pharmacies and nurses’ offices. “There is significant concern that we could have a longer flu season than in previous years, and the reason for that is that we’ve actually seen very little flu circulating in our region or in Canada in general since the pandemic,” said Dr . Alex Summers. district medical officer of health, said on 980 CFPL’s The Morning Show with Devon Peacock. The various public health measures implemented to limit the transmission of COVID-19 over the past two and a half years, including stay-at-home orders and cover-up orders, have also worked effectively against the flu, Summers said. Story continues below ad “That means a lot of us haven’t been exposed to the flu lately, and so this year a lot of us might be a little bit more vulnerable to it, and that’s why we really encourage people to get their flu shots.” as soon as possible,” he said.

		Read more: ‘Very tough flu season’ expected, London, Ont.  Children’s Hospital emerg says 		
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			‘Very tough flu season’ expected, head of London, Ont.  Children’s Hospital emerg says

The upcoming flu season comes amid rising rates of other respiratory viruses, including COVID-19 and RSV, and as hospitals across the province face staff shortages, high patient volumes, significant patient wait times and, in some cases, ER closures . London Health Sciences Center reported long ER wait times for non-urgent matters on several occasions last month, and did so again Monday, reporting wait times of five or more hours in the emergency department at Children’s Hospital. Last week, it reported waiting times of 15 to 20-plus hours at University Hospitals and Victoria Hospitals. The severity of the upcoming flu season and its impact on health care is unclear, but Summers notes that the more severe flu seasons seen elsewhere, including Australia, whose flu season typically runs from May to October, they could predict ours might look like. “There’s a bit of a rhythm to it, both from the fact that after a bad flu year, people realize it’s really important to get vaccinated, so they get vaccinated, and also some people have gotten sick the year before and have some protection next year.” , he said. Current trend

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Story continues below ad “What I’m hoping is that we can disrupt that rhythm this year and say, even though we haven’t had a bad flu season the last two years, we’ve learned a lot about respiratory disease and we know so much about the difference a vaccine can make.”

		Read more: Free flu shots now available for Ontarians 6 months and older

As COVID-19 continues to circulate in the community, Londoners are also advised to get their last booster dose if they haven’t already. The COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine can be given on the same day. Uptake of the COVID-19 boosters has been steady locally, Summers says, but the health unit’s data shows that, overall, local residents were less willing to take them compared to the main two-dose regimen. According to the health unit, just under 25 per cent of residents in London and Middlesex aged 12 and over have taken the first two doses and received a booster dose in the last six months. “I think the key thing that people have to recognize, and maybe that’s what contributes to some of the fatigue is that, you know, a lot of us would have gotten our vaccine, but some of us also would have gotten the COVID lately. while,” Summers said. “There can be a sense of, ‘You know what? I got COVID once. i did ok Is it really worth my time to go and get vaccinated again for this disease I already had?’ And the answer is yes! Story continues below ad “Because you can get COVID again, and the vaccination can reduce the chances of you getting it again, and it can make sure that if you do get it, your symptoms are as severe as they can be.” 3:59 Respiratory viruses are making a comeback COVID-19 activity in the province has been generally stable, although it has been gradually increasing since early September, according to Public Health Ontario. The health service says the rate of the new BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 Omicron subvariants, which appear to be more contagious, in the province is increasing twice as fast as the dominant BA.5 variant. Last week, the former head of the province’s disbanded scientific COVID-19 panel called on the government to reinstate cover-up orders for essential settings, including grocery stores, public transportation and schools. The provincial health care system introduced the kind of strain in August and September that is usually seen at the height of a bad flu season, said Dr. Fahad Razak, an internist at St. in cases of COVID-19. Story continues below ad — with files from The Canadian Press © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.