(Radio Iowa) – Only about one in four Iowans have gotten flu shots so far this season, the lowest turnout in the past five years.
A report from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services shows nearly 27-percent of Iowans have been vaccinated through last week, compared to almost 39-percent the first year of the pandemic. Elizabeth Scharon, a registered nurse and vaccine clinic manager at Gundersen Health System, recommends flu shots for virtually everyone.
It can often take up to two weeks for the flu shot to become effective, so she says Iowans who are vaccinated now should be prepared for the upcoming holiday season. While Iowans who are young and healthy likely aren’t at great risk of getting severely ill from the flu, Scharon says they should still get vaccinated to protect more vulnerable people around them.
