As the United States recently passed 213,000 coronavirus deaths, health officials are pushing people worldwide to get their flu shot as soon as possible.

“Everybody should be getting the flu shot this year,” recommends Dr. Anne Rimoin, a doctor and professor at UCLA for public health in an interview with MSNBC. “It is the one way we can reduce the number of cases of influenza and lower the burden on our medical system in addition to coronavirus,” she continues.

Health officials suggest that getting a flu shot will help with the spread of COVID-19. According to the CDC, you should get your flu shot from ages 6 months to 65 year olds. There are many places available for you to receive your flu shot, such as your local doctor’s office or pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens. 

“I got my flu shot last week,” said Radha Pingle, a freshman.

Isabella Bernier also said she is planning on getting her flu shot soon.

There have been over 7.25 million cases in the United States, many people struggling with limiting testing and stress on the healthcare system. Now, you could get tested with ease, unlike during the first wave of COVID during the Spring and Summer. 

Health officials all over the world are scrambling to produce a vaccine. They predict that even if a vaccine were to become available in late 2020, it would still be at least a few months for dissemination across the country. 

“I am expecting a second wave of the COVID-19 virus because no one is taking the necessary precaution to be safe and stop the spread of corona,” said Freshman Arielle Rabukhin.

“I am disappointed but not surprised that there will be more cases coming because people are not following the rules that are given for example wearing your mask”, comments Freshman Isabella Bernier.