��������

DON’T LOOK NOW. FLU SEASON IS HERE. IT IS OCTOBER, RIGHT? SO THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH HAS LAUNCHED THEIR FLU AND COVID DASHBOARD THAT SHOWS CASES OF COVID REPORTED LAST MONTH PEAKING AND DRASTICALLY DROPPING THIS MONTH. NOW, FLU LIKE ILLNESSES APPEAR TO BE ON A SLIGHT RISE AND AGAIN, THEY START TO TREND UP. USUALLY THIS TIME OF THE MONTH. WELL, AS FLU AND COVID SEASON DO RAMP UP IN THE FALL AND WINTER MONTHS, HEALTH PROS, THE PROFESSIONALS SAY NOW IS THE TIME TO GET THOSE SHOTS. AND ��������13’S PATSY DOUGLAS SPOKE WITH A LOCAL DOCTOR AND SHE HAS MORE ON A PUSH TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE VACCINATED AS POSSIBLE. PATSY, WHERE CAN PEOPLE GET FLU AND COVID SHOTS RIGHT NOW. WELL, YEAH, LISTEN, THOSE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS SAY GOING TO YOUR LOCAL PHARMACY OR YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER IS GOING TO BE THE BEST BET, RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY THOSE LOCAL PHARMACIES. THEY HAVE A LOT OF COVID AND FLU SHOTS RIGHT NOW, ACCORDING TO THE CDC, VACCINE MANUFACTURERS HAVE PROJECTED THAT THEY WILL SUPPLY THE UNITED STATES WITH MORE THAN 100 MILLION DOSES OF FLU VACCINES FOR THE SEASON. SO THERE ARE PLENTY OF THE CDC. THEY ALSO ENDORSED A NEW COVID 19 SHOT FOR EVERYONE SIX MONTHS AND OLDER. NOW, HEALTH CARE OFFICIALS BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL HELP INCREASE PROTECTION AND HELP WITH A POSSIBLE SURGE DURING THE AUTUMN AND WINTER SEASONS. I DID SPEAK WITH A LOCAL PHYSICIAN, DR. HAYES WILLIAMS. HE SAYS FOR A LOT OF PATIENTS, THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING THE FLU OR EVEN THE COVID SHOT. GENERALLY, A LOT OF PUBLICITY OUT THERE ABOUT NOT GETTING THE COVID SHOT BECAUSE IT’S DANGEROUS. AND THAT’S THAT’S THAT’S BAD PUBLICITY BECAUSE IN GENERAL, IT IS NOT DANGEROUS. NOW, DR. WILLIAMS SAYS HAVE ONE ON ONE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR LOCAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HEALTH. OF COURSE, HE’S ENCOURAGING THOSE TO TRY TO GET THE COVID AND FLU SHOTS BEFORE T