It's never too soon to get a flu shot

A flu shot clinic begins Monday at the Durham VA Health Care System. The clinic will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday through Friday until Dec. 10. The shot is available for all veterans registered with the Durham VA.

Alignment Health Care began vaccinating patients weeks ago. Health care providers have done about 50 in-home visits in just the last two weeks.

Laurence Eisen, 87, from Apex, said he’s getting his flu shot early this year.

“When the doctor says I need to do this, I listen,” Eisen said.

Dr. Adam Wolk, senior medical officer for Alignment Health Care, says it’s especially important this year that people get their flu vaccine as early as possible.

“There weren’t a lot of flu cases last year, because of all the social distancing. We were staying at home. Society has opened back up. Because of that there’s going to be a lot of more people who are susceptible to the flu,” Wolk said.

Add COVID-19 to the mix, and there’s the possibility for a “twin-demic,” something Wolk worries would be a hard hit for hospitals across the country.

“If we had the flu on top of this, and if there is another surge in the winter, and we expect there will be, it could be it could push us over the edge to a situation we’ve watched on television. We really don’t want to get there,” Wolk said.

He says it’s safe for individuals to get both a COVID vaccine and flu shot at the same time.

“I got this far by listening to the people who know more than I do about sicknesses," Eisen said. "If I keep on listening, maybe I can make it to over 100 which is my goal."

With the surge in COVID cases, Wolk says he’s hopeful people will be more motivated to get a flu shot this year noting, it’s never too soon.