Health officials at Renown warn, the time to start worrying about respiratory illnesses and the flu is now.
“Late summer, early fall is a great time to be able to get the protection you need before the season hits,” said Adam Porath, the Vice President of Pharmacy at Renown.
He says this year the flu vaccine has been reformulated to contain some different strains than it did last year based off the patterns they're seeing in other parts of the world, as well as locally.
Those who are immunocompromised are at a higher risk for getting a respiratory illness, because of this they recommend if you are one of those people you should get immunized.
That also includes older aged adults.
"Seniors are some of most vulnerable populations when it comes to who is going to get hospitalized if you get the flu or RSV. So besides infants, senior citizens are the most at risk for complications,” Porath explains.
He also says one of the higher risk populations are those who are pregnant.
“The RSV season officially started October 1st," he said. “Pregnant women should get the RSV vaccine at 32 weeks or earlier.”
The biggest tip they have for avoiding these viruses is to wash your hands, and if you're starting to feel sick, they say to stay home and don't go to work.
At Renown they have two locations that you can get you vaccinations.
The Renown Regional Medical Center is open 24 hours a day.
Renown South Meadows is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. through 5 p.m.
