Flu shots already available at metro clinics as health experts say influenza may not wait for winter

Beginning Monday, Allina Health clinics across the metro started offering flu shots by appointment.

Even though it’s still technically summer, some health experts are concerned the flu season won’t wait for winter.

"This year, you ought to go get it as soon as you can," said Dr. Frank Rhame, an infectious disease specialist with Allina Health.

There are worries this year’s flu season could begin at a time when emergency rooms are already filling up and testing capacity is stretched thin due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, widespread mask mandates, as well as remote work and school, made for a nearly non-existent flu season. However, that can also mean most people don’t have immunity built up from last year’s strain.

Rhame said it’s not too early to schedule a flu shot.

"COVID makes it more important to get [a flu shot] because the concurrent illness is more severe and we don’t want to stress out testing facilities," he said.

When trying to predict how severe this year’s flu season might be, doctors are looking at case numbers for a different type of virus: respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Like the flu, RSV cases were low last year. This year, RSV cases have appeared early and are exploding in certain parts of the country.

Health experts say that could be telling because both viruses typically have similar transmission patterns.