Local Doctors Launch ‘Fight the Twindemic!’ Campaign

Local doctors warn you need a flu shot this year more than ever before because of the looming ‘Twindemic’ about to strike here and across the country.

They’re talking about the double whammy of flu and COVID 19 hitting at the same time, threatening to sicken more of us and overwhelm our medical facilities and resources.

That’s why physicians with American Family Care, a national healthcare network with a local clinic,  have launched a crusade called ‘Fight the Twindemic’ to educate families about the importance of flu vaccines and the differences between the flu and COVID-19.

Our local docs will answer:

• Who should get a flu shot and where do you get it?

• How can you tell the difference between the flu and COVID -19?

• Can you get both?

• Interviews can be done virtually (Zoom, Skype, Facetime) or you are welcome to come to our clinic to interview docs and possibly patients.

‘Fight The Twindemic!’ Education Campaign

1 Protect Yourself

• Flu season runs from December through February. Unlike Covid, with no proven vaccine available yet, the flu has a vaccine that can protect you from getting the virus or at least reduce the severity of your symptoms – by 40 to 60 percent.

• While the race to come up with a Covid-19 vaccine continues, companies that make flu vaccines are boosting supplies to meet what they expect will be higher demand this year.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine by the end of October – because it takes a few weeks for the vaccine to provide protection.

2 Understand Virus Variations

The flu and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses that share many of the same signs and symptoms such as dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath.

So what are the differences?

There are some distinct differences that set them apart.

• A loss of smell and taste is a symptom connected to Covid-19 and is considered rare among flu sufferers.

• Flu symptoms come on rapidly, whereas symptoms for COVID-19 can take upwards of 14 days to appear.

3 Don’t Double Your Trouble

• It is possible to get sick with both the flu and Covid-19 at the same time.

• Although both viruses are spread through droplets from an infected person and share similar symptoms, they use different receptors on our cells once inside the body. So, yes, this allows for a double infection in the same person.

• Cases are rare right now and experts want to keep it that way by warning Americans to get a flu shot.

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