HARTFORD, Conn. — As the weather starts to get cooler and people start to gather indoors health experts have an important reminder.
"I would tell people as we get into the colder months to get ready. Get your flu shot, get your COVID shot, because you know COVID has been here and it's here to stay," said Dr. Paul Anthony an infectious disease specialist with Hartford Healthcare.
Anyone 12 or older, who received their last COVID vaccine at least two months ago is eligible for the updated COVID-19 booster shot.
Experts recommend people get the shot.
"It might be the difference between having a cold and being in our hospital in the ICU," Anthony said.
In Connecticut, only about six percent of the people who received their first two shots have gotten the updated booster.
"I think there may be a few reasons for that. There is definitely some fatigue out there regarding boosters but there also seems to be some confusion in terms of who is eligible and how really benefits most from the boosters," said Dr. David Banach an infectious disease specialist UConn Health.
Experts said it's important to be up to date on your shots because we are dealing with more contagious strains of COVID-19 now.
"What we saw this past summer was a pretty high level of COVID transmission in the community here in Connecticut. So we're dealing with variants that are more transmissible and more contagious and as we move into the winter months we see people gather indoors there's an expectation that there's going to be some ongoing transmission probably at a high level here in Connecticut," Banach said.
The booster shots are widely available. The Department of Public Health's mobile vaccine clinics operate all over the state, every day.
For example, on the New Haven Green, the site is open every weekday with health officials administering the updated booster.
"What is different about this booster is it does take into account the new omicron variant which has been going around, especially in Connecticut but everywhere in the United States," Anthony said.
Doctors also want you to keep in mind there is also the potential for a worse flu season so they also recommend protecting yourself against that.
"Nationally there's starting to be an uptick in flu cases and from what we saw in the southern hemisphere during our summer which is their winter there was high levels of flu activity so there is some concern that we may be in for a worse flu season than what we've seen the last couple of years," Banach said.
You can get both the flu shot and the COVID-19 booster at the same time, or space them out if you're worried about side effects.
The CDC recommends people get their flu shots by the end of this month.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at gmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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