U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith of Brookhaven received a flu shot this week, and encouraged fellow Mississippians to be vaccinated amid concerns that the annual influenza outbreak will place added burdens on healthcare workers and hospitals already treating COVID-19 patients.

Hyde-Smith received her annual flu shot at Walgreens in Madison in order to call attention to the availability of the flu vaccine and its importance.

“Getting a flu shot is important every year, but it is especially important this year with COVID-19.   We need to make sure that we protect ourselves from the flu to keep our hospitals from getting overwhelmed this winter,” Hyde-Smith said.  “I hope my fellow Mississippians will do their part to protect themselves and their communities by getting vaccinated against the flu.”

Hyde-Smith noted that while Mississippi is a national leader in childhood vaccination rates, the state ranks poorly when it comes to vaccination rates against flu for adults.

“Let’s change that this year and put Mississippi at the top for flu vaccination rates,” Hyde-Smith said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the annual flu vaccine for everyone six months and older, with rare exceptions, as an effective way to decrease flu illness, hospitalization and death.

Flu shots are offered at no cost with most insurance, as well as with Medicare Part B and Medicaid.  They are currently available at pharmacies and doctor offices across the state. The Mississippi State Department of Health also notes that county health departments provide flu shots to all children, and to qualifying adults who lack insurance coverage.