>>> HEALTH EXPERTS ARE WARNING
ABOUT A ROUGH FLU SEASON THIS
YEAR.
>> LAUREN PETTY IS HERE WITH
MORE ON THIS.
THIS WARNING STEMS FROM A SPIKE
IN FACES IN OTHER PLACES.
>> AUSTRALIA HAS OPPOSITE
SEASONS THAN WE DO AND THEY SAW
THE WORST FLU SEASON IN FIVE
YEARS.
THAT'S WHY DOCTORS ARE URGING
FLU SHOTS NOW.
WE WANT TO GO DEEPER ON THIS.
AND JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT
THIS IS THE CITY'S PUBLIC HEALTH
COMMISSIONER, DR. ALLISON
ARWADY.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
I KNOW FLU ACTIVITY.
D.C. IS SEEING A SPIKE.
NEW YORK IS SEEING A SPIKE.
WHAT ARE WE SEEING?
>> WE'RE JUST STARTING TO SEE A
LITTLE BIT OF FLU ACTIVITY.
LAST WEEK, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD A
NUMBER OF CHICAGOANS
HOSPITALIZED.
ONE PERSON IN THE ICU HERE IN
CHICAGO.
IT HASN'T FULLY KICKED OFF YET.
BUT IT IS DEFINITELY COMING.
AND WE DO NEED FOLKS TO GET
THEIR FLU VACCINE.
IT TAKES ABOUT TWO WEEKS FOR THE
FLU VACCINE TO KICK IN.
YOU WANT TO GET IT BEFORE FLU
SEASON HAS TAKEN OFF.
>> FLU BEFORE BOO IS A PHRASE.
THIS YEAR, WE'RE HEARING AN
ALTERNATIVE VERSION OF THAT.
NOT JUST FLU BUT YOUR COVID
BOOSTER, AS WELL.
YOU CAN GET THE SHOTS AT THE
SAME TIME, IS THAT RIGHT?
>> YOU CAN.
AND IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN
EVER THIS FALL, TO GET A COVID
VACCINE.
IF YOU HAD A BOOSTER IN THE
PAST.
YOU THINK, I'M GOOD WITH COVID.
THE COVID VACCINE HAS BEEN
UPDATED FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS
FALL.
EVERY YEAR WE MAKE THE FLU
VACCINE TO BEST MATCH THE
STRAINS OF FLU THAT ARE
CIRCULATING, THIS YEAR, THE
COVID VACCINE IS AN ALMOST
PERFECT MATCH TO OMICRON, WHAT
IS CIRCULATING IN CHICAGO.
PAST, EVERYBODY OVER THE AGE OF
5 IS ELIGIBLE AND SHOULD GET A
COVID BOOSTER AND A FLU VACCINE
THIS FALL.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
UPTICK.
THE UPTICK HAS SLOWED OVERALL.
ARE THERE CERTAIN SEGMENTS THAT
ARE MORE CONCERNING AS YOU LOOK
AT THE DATA?
>> YEAH.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE COVID DATA,
FIRST OF ALL, WE CONTINUE TO SEE
LAGGING VACCINATION RATES FOR
THE FALL 2022 VACCINE IN BLACK
AND LATIN CHICAGOANS.
WE KNOW THOSE ARE THE
COMMUNITIES THAT ARE HIT HARDEST
EVERY TIME WE HAVE A COVID
SURGE.
CONCERN THERE.
BETTER UPTICK IN OLDER PEOPLE
THAN YOUNGER.
BUT PEOPLE IN THE 60s, 70s, 80s,
IT'S CRITICAL THAT OLDER
CHICAGOANS GET THE VACCINE.
IT'S FREE.
AVAILABLE, SAFE AND UPDATED TO
BE A BETTER PROTECTION THAN
WE'VE EVER HAD BEFORE.
EVERYBODY GETTING IT IS HOW WE
STAY OUT OF TROUBLE.
>>> ONE QUICK QUESTION.
KIDS OVER THE AGE OF 5, NOW
APPROVED AS OF YESTERDAY.
HOW SOON WILL THE SHOTS GO INTO
ARMS IN CHICAGO?
>> THEY START SHIPPING TODAY AT
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AT THE CITY CLINICS, WE PLAN TO
START ON MONDAY.
AS SOON AS THE VACCINE ARRIVES,
YOUR PHARMACY, YOUR DOCTOR'S
OFFICE, IS AUTHORIZED NOW TO
START GIVING IT TO THOSE 5 AND
UP.
WE'LL BE STARTING MONDAY AT ALL
OF THE CITY CLINICS.
AGAIN, YOU CAN GET YOUR COVID
VACCINE AND FLU VACCINE.
ONE IN EACH ARM, IF YOU WANT.
EVERYBODY OVER SIX MONTHS SHOULD
BE FULLY