LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Health experts warned that the United States is bracing for a severe flu season and another fall wave of COVID-19 cases, urging the public to get flu shots and COVID-19 boosters.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is calling on everyone 6 months and older to get their flu shot.
Public health officials are concerned about a false sense of security after two milder flu seasons due to COVID precautions, said a report of CNN.
"I don't want to be alarmist, but I am concerned. We know that it's going to be a strain of flu that tends to be more severe," said Michael Phillips, an infectious disease expert at New York University Langone Health.
"For those ages greater than 65, there's a specific formulations of vaccines that you should get and it dramatically reduces the likelihood of hospitalization and death," Phillips said.
Less than half of U.S. adults plan to get a flu shot this year and just a third feel safe getting a flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine at the same time, according to a survey of the U.S. National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Flu season typically starts in October, peaks in December through February and can last into the spring.
The CDC says the flu shot may not prevent people from getting infected, but it can significantly lower the risk of hospitalization and death.
U.S. health officials are expecting another fall COVID-19 surge as immunity from vaccination wanes off and people head indoors as the weather turns colder.
Meanwhile, more transmissible Omicron subvariants are emerging, adding risks for fall and winter COVID-19 surge, and experts are urging the public to get COVID-19 vaccines and boosters to protect themselves as well as the vulnerable groups.
As of Sept. 28, about 67.9 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated with their initial series, according to the latest CDC data. But less than half of the fully vaccinated population has received a booster dose.
A new study published Wednesday by the Commonwealth Fund shows that about 90,000 COVID-19 deaths could be prevented this fall and winter if more people in the United States get their booster by the end of the year.
