Welcoming in a New Year – and Peak Flu Season
As the holidays wrap up and routines restart, flu season often surges. This year is no exception. It’s a familiar pattern: families gather, people spend more time indoors, and travel increases.
In the days that follow, viruses then spread easily when schools reopen and workplaces fill back up.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors flu activity throughout the United States, reports that at least 7.5 million people have come down with the virus since the season started in October.
Medical professionals say it’s not too late to get the flu vaccine, which is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. These shots are easily accessible at local pharmacies, grocery stories, and urgent care centers like UHealth Jackson Urgent Care.
In addition to getting vaccinated, the best way to protect yourself is:
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, scrubbing for 20 seconds in between fingers and fingernails to remove germs. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth to prevent the spreading of germs.
- Clean and disinfect your home regularly, especially high-touch surfaces like countertops, sinks, remote controls, and doorknobs.
If you feel like you’re coming down with symptoms, stay home. Resting helps you feel better faster, and it helps slow down the spread of germs.
Also, make sure you follow proper cough etiquette. By covering your mouth when you cough, you help stop droplets that can carry germs from spreading onto people nearby or onto surfaces. Sneeze into a tissue or your elbow – never your hand – to also lower the chance of spreading germs.
The flu, cold, and other respiratory viruses have a lot of common symptoms.
With locations throughout Miami-Dade County, UHealth Jackson Urgent Care can treat all of these illnesses by providing evaluations, testing, when appropriate, and treatment plans to help get you back on your feet. For more information on our centers, their operating hours, and how to book an appointment, click here.