For example, you may need to practice social distancing (physical distancing) and stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) from others outside your household. Your local health department and the CDC may suggest other precautions to reduce your risk of COVID-19 or the flu.

If you're at high risk of complications from the flu - for example, you're younger than 5 or you're 65 or older, you're pregnant, or you have a chronic medical condition such as asthma - consider avoiding swine barns at seasonal fairs and elsewhere.ĭuring the COVID-19 pandemic, both COVID-19 and the flu may be spreading at the same time. Regularly clean often-touched surfaces to prevent spread of infection from a surface with the virus on it to your body. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. Use soap and water, or if they're unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.These measures also help prevent the flu and limit its spread: The nasal spray isn't recommended for some groups, such as pregnant women, children between 2 and 4 years old with asthma or wheezing, and people who have compromised immune systems. The nasal spray is approved for use in healthy people ages 2 through 49 years old. The flu vaccine is available as an injection and as a nasal spray. Preventing the flu and reducing the severity of flu illness and hospitalizations could also lessen the number of people needing to stay in the hospital. Flu vaccination could reduce symptoms that might be confused with those caused by COVID-19. The flu vaccine can reduce your risk of the flu and its severity and lower the risk of having serious illness from the flu and needing to stay in the hospital.įlu vaccination is especially important in the 2020-21 flu season because the flu and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cause similar symptoms. Each year's seasonal flu vaccine protects against the three or four influenza viruses that are expected to be the most common during that year's flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone age 6 months or older. Worsening of existing medical conditionsĮmergency signs and symptoms in children can include:.Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.For adults, emergency signs and symptoms can include: If you have emergency signs and symptoms of the flu, get medical care right away. Call your doctor, however, if you have flu symptoms and you're pregnant or you have a chronic disease, such as asthma, emphysema, diabetes or a heart condition, because you have a higher risk of flu complications. It's not necessary to see a doctor if you're generally healthy and develop flu signs and symptoms, such as fever, cough and body aches. The signs and symptoms of flu caused by the H1N1 virus are similar to those of infections caused by other flu strains and can include:įlu symptoms develop about one to three days after you're exposed to the virus.

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