COVID and Flu seasons ready to kick into gear, overlap

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - It's officially Fall. While that often means time at a pumpkin patch or corn maze, it also means seasonal illnesses are back.

This year, Flu and COVID season are likely to overlap.

"Influenza, which in our area starts to appear in November and peaks in about January and COVID," said Dr. Doug Kasper, an Infectious Disease Specialist at OSF HealthCare. "COVID has been a little more seasonal each year and we start to predict peaks in October."

Data from the CDC shows just under 50% of Illinoisans received a Flu shot during the 2023-24 Flu season, while only about 25% of adults in the state got a COVID vaccine this year before the CDC approved an updated shot in late August.

"The vaccine is now being recommended for everybody six months and older as a one time, once a year, vaccine," Dr. Kasper said. "So, this is analogous to the influenza vaccine where we're used to getting it in the fall."

You can receive both shots in the same visit.

Dr. Kasper says, "No issue with timing of influenza and COVID vaccines. For the population as a whole, Influenza and COVID are recommended across all age groups."

Unlike the Flu vaccine, the COVID vaccine will not prevent you from contracting the illness. It's goal is to minimize symptoms if you do test positive.