Flu Virus Is All Over Maine; May Want to Get That Flu Shot

Now is the time to run to get that flu shot and it’s especially important for residents of Maine.

According to newscentermaine.com, cases of influenza have been confirmed in all 16 Maine counties.

DHHS reports that flu season begins in the fall and will continue through the spring months of 2020, the news site reported, and 1,287 people have tested positive for influenza this season.

With 90 people hospitalized with the flu, it is considered rife in the state of Maine, according to News Center Maine.

Officials say it’s not too late to get the shot.

Newscentermaine.com quotes Nirav D. Shah, Director of Maine Centers for Disease Control, as saying “The most effective way to prevent the spread of influenza is to get vaccinated, and it’s not too late to get the flu shot. Influenza is unpredictable and, in some cases, deadly.”

Six flu-related deaths have been recorded already this season, the news station stated.

Other tips shared by the CDC are washing your hands, cover your cough, and stay at home when you are ill.

Washing your hands is very important and many of us don’t do it correctly. My wife taught my kids to sing the ABC song while hand washing to make sure they spent enough time rubbing their hands underwater with soap and rinsed completely.

Hand sanitizer is not enough. If you are not into singing the ABC song then time yourself, they say you should scrub your hands for twenty seconds.