TULSA - Flu season is here which means it's time to start getting those flu shots.
With 88 deaths in Oklahoma last year and nearly 3,000 hospitalizations, health officials are urging everyone to not take chances with this contagious virus.
In Tulsa County, the flu killed almost 20 people and put more than 700 in the hospital last season.
The CDC recommends anyone over six months receive the vaccine as soon as it’s available.
Even if you get the flu, the vaccine can keep it from getting severe.
“Generally we say give two weeks for the vaccine to reach its full efficacy. Influenza however is very contagious," Ellen Niemitalo, Clinic Services Manager at the Tulsa Health Department, said. "It can be spread within one to three days from exposure. So it really is important to get the vaccine early and not wait until you might have been exposed.”
It's even more important for people with an underlying condition to get their vaccine because if they don’t, it could cause more complications.
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