It’s early February, which means it’s the middle of winter but also the middle of flu season.

Although it hasn’t been officially declared if flu season has peaked, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reports flu cases have “decreased in recent weeks but is still elevated nationally. While flu is unpredictable, flu activity is expected to continue for several weeks.”

In our area, we know of many who had flu symptoms that lasted not just days but weeks. It was/is a lingering malady that kept many out of commission.

If you were one of the lucky ones to have escaped being sick this winter, congratulations. If you want to remain flu-free or if you have had it and want to avoid a relapse, there are many ways to avoid catching it.

One of the main ways is to get a flu shot, which are still widely available at drug stores, your doctor’s office or at a county health department. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine “as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses,” and everyone 6 months and older should get an annual flu vaccine.

Flu vaccines help to reduce the burden of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on the health care system each year and are on particular importance in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, all flu vaccines are designed to protect against the four flu viruses that research indicates will be most common.

The CDC says the best way to avoid it and the flu is:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• If you are sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.

• Cover coughs and sneezes.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.

• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with viruses that cause flu.

• For flu, CDC recommends that people stay home for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone except to get medical care or other necessities. Fever should be gone without the need to use a fever-reducing medicine. Note that the stay-at-home guidance for COVID-19 may be different. Learn about some of the similarities and differences between flu and COVID-19.

• In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, local governments or public health departments may recommend additional precautions be taken in your community.

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Originally Appeared Here