Flu season likely to be a rough one in Tri-Cities. Is it too early to get a shot?

The Tri-Cities could be facing a rough flu season in the next few months, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.

It urges residents to get a flu shot now and plans a week-long flu vaccine clinic by appointment in the Tri-Cities.

Public health officials have two reasons to be concerned, said Heather Hill, infectious disease supervisor for the Benton Franklin Health District, speaking this week on the Kadlec on Call podcast.

U.S. researchers look to countries in the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia, that experience fall and winter before the United States.

Checking influenza trends there for 2022 may predict what kind of a season the United States could have.

“Looking at Australia, they had a pretty severe season,” Hill said.

In addition, there was not as much influenza as usual in recent years in the United States. The practices used to limit the spread of COVID-19, such as avoiding crowds, also helped reduce the spread of the flu.

Exposure to the influenza virus and annual shots help the body’s immune system remember the virus, she said.

But in the last two years fewer people nationwide have gotten the flu vaccine, she said.

Tri-Cities flu season

The flu season usually starts in the Tri-Cities in October, peaks in December through February, and declines by April, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.

Getting the vaccine now will prepare people for the upcoming holiday season, when friends and family gather.

Like many vaccinations it takes about two weeks after a shot of the flu vaccine for it to be fully effective.

Health district experts say everyone 6 months and older should get a flu shot, but it is especially important for those at higher risk of severe cases of the flu and complications.

Those include infants and children younger than 2, adults 65 and older, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma and other lung conditions.

The flu sends many Tri-Cities residents to the hospital each year and “should not be taken lightly,” the health district said in an announcement of its flu vaccine clinic.

Symptoms include fever, dry cough, aches and feeling like “you got run over by a truck,” Hill said.

Tri-Cities flu vaccine clinic

The health district is offering the shots Oct. 17-21 from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Call 509-460-4200 to schedule a Tri-Cities area appointment and to make sure the health district accepts your health insurance. You must be at least 19 to get a shot at the health district clinic.

Both the high dose shot given to people 65 and older and the regular flu vaccine — in a form that even those allergic to eggs can tolerate — will be offered.

The Kennewick School District also has announced 24 flu clinics, open to the community and no appointments required, at multiple school buildings from Friday Oct. 14 to Friday Nov. 18.

They will not only offer flu vaccines to people age 3 and older, including the high dose vaccine for people 65 and older, but participants 18 and older can get their COVID booster shot at the same time. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The vaccines are free with most insurance plans.

For clinic locations and times, go to ksd.org. For more information, call 509-222-6432.

The shots also are widely available at pharmacies and some clinics, but hospitals are still strained and overcapacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic and health care delayed during the worst of the pandemic, according to the health district.

Antiviral drugs for flu

Like all vaccines, the shots are not 100% effective, Hill said.

But if you are vaccinated and still are infected, you are less likely to have a severe illness that leads to hospitalization or death, she said.

Antiviral drugs are available that may reduce the severity of the flu and shorten the illness by a day or two, but they must be taken early in the illness to be effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Don’t believe the myth that you can catch the flu from a flu shot, say public health officials.

It is scientifically impossible because the vaccine does not include live virus, Hill said.

Some mild side effects from the vaccine are possible, such as soreness where the flu was given, low-grade fever and a headache for no longer than a day or two.

But its far better to have mild side effects than risk getting the flu, Hill said.

You can also help prevent the spread of the flu by washing your hands often, not touching your face, covering your cough and staying home when sick.