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TUCSON, AZ – Ready or not, Tucson flu season is just around the corner.
The 2020-21 flu season marks the second flu season for Tucson residents while battling the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predict that both viruses will re-spread simultaneously during this flu season.
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can lead to serious illness, hospitalization, or even death. Typical flu symptoms are fever, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle pain and extreme tiredness.
The flu symptoms are similar to COVID-19, but they usually come on more quickly. If you get tested for the flu this season, you may need to get tested for COVID-19 as well.
While the flu typically infects tens of millions of people each year, the 2019-20 flu season was an anomaly.
Influenza activity was unusually low during the last flu season in the United States, despite high testing. Between September 28, 2020 and May 22, 2021, only 1,675 – or 0.2 percent – of 818,939 airway samples tested by clinical laboratories in the United States were positive for one, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Influenza virus.
By comparison, the 2019-20 flu season caused approximately 35 million flu-related illnesses, 16 million flu-related doctor visits, 380,000 flu-related hospital admissions, and 20,000 flu-related deaths, according to CDC data.
The reason for the historically low numbers was likely due to COVID-19 containment measures such as wearing face masks, washing hands, school closings and physical distancing.
Despite the low numbers over the past year, an annual flu shot is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over. There are a few exceptions. To date, more than 100 million Americans have gotten the flu vaccine, according to the CDC.
If you still need your flu vaccine, here are a few places to go in Tucson:
1. CVS Pharmacy, Inc. # 10184
825 E University Blvd # 101, Tucson, AZ 85719
2. SAFEWAY PHARMACY # 1684
1940 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85719
3. SAFEWAY PHARMACY # 255
1551 W St Marys Road, Tucson, AZ 85745
4. Fry’s Food and Drug # 66000021
555 E Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ 85705
5. CVS Pharmacy, Inc. # 09207
865 E Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ 85719
6. ALBERTSONS PHARMACY # 3203
1350 N Silverbell Road, Tucson, AZ 85745
7. Walmart Inc. # 10-5626
1260 E Tucson Marketplace Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85713
8. Fry’s Food and Drug # 66000020
3640 S 16th Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85713
9. Walmart Inc. # 10-3884
3435 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85716
10. OSCO DRUG # 961
2854 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719
11. Walmart Inc. # 10-5725
831 E Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, AZ 85719
12. CVS Pharmacy, Inc. # 16772
3699 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85716
13. CVS Pharmacy, Inc. # 10742
2385 N Silverbell Road, Tucson, AZ 85745
14. SAFEWAY PHARMACY # 1983
2140 W Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ 85745
15. CVS Pharmacy, Inc. # 09274
615 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85716
16. CVS Pharmacy, Inc. # 07876
3832 E Speedway Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85716
17. Frys Food and Drug # 66000017
4150 E 22nd Street, Tucson, AZ 85711
18. Frys Food and Drug # 66000058
2001 E Irvington Road, Tucson, AZ 85714
19. CVS Pharmacy, Inc. # 17223
4040 N Oracle Road, Tucson, AZ 85705
20. Walmart Inc. # 10-3357
3925 E Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ 85712
21. Fry’s Food and Drug # 66000138
4036 N 1st Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719
22. CVS Pharmacy, Inc. # 16659
1225 W Irvington Road, Tucson, AZ 85714
23. CVS Pharmacy, Inc. # 07841
4365 N Oracle Road, Tucson, AZ 85705
24. Walmart Inc. # 10-1325
455 E Wetmore Rd, Tucson, AZ 85705
25. Sam’s Club # 10-6692
4701 N Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ 85704
Although there is no official start or end of the flu season, the CDC recommends people get vaccinated by the end of October.
Many Americans are also entitled to a COVID-19 booster vaccination. You can get a flu vaccine at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine, including a COVID-19 booster, according to the CDC.
Follow these three simple steps to minimize your risk of flu:
- Get a flu vaccine. It’s the best way to fight the flu.
- When you cough or sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue and wash your hands frequently.
- Take antiviral flu medications if your doctor prescribes them. If you catch the flu, antiviral drugs can be used to treat your illness.
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