After two fairly quiet flu seasons (an unexpected blip of good news amid the COVID-19 pandemic), you may have been lulled into complacency about the influenza virus. But early signs suggest the flu is returning from its exile in a big way this year. In this episode, we discuss why experts are concerned we're in for a severe season, how the flu is different from COVID-19 and answers to common questions about getting your flu shot.

Hosts: Zach Moore, Katie McCallum (interviewer)

Expert: Dr. Wesley Long, Medical Director of Diagnostic Microbiology

Notable topics covered:

• What Australia’s bad flu season may mean for us
• The early warning signs we’re already seeing in our own flu data
• What to do if you think you have the flu
• Whether it’s possible to get flu and COVID-19 at the same time
• When (and why) to get your annual flu shot
• Answers to flu shot questions, including whether you can get your flu shot and COVID-19 booster at the same time

Houston Methodist Flu Tracker: https://flu.houstonmethodist.org/

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