Hello and welcome to Living In The Lehigh Valley, where our focus is your health and wellness.

I'm your host, Brittany Sweeney.

Doctors say this flu season could be a more severe one, so they encourage people to get the flu vaccine.

Meanwhile, COVID cases are lingering and some people may need a booster shot.

Many are asking, Is it safe to get both at the same time?

- It's the time of year when many people get their annual flu shot.

- I think it protects us from all those bad things that are floating around during the winter time.

- Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg recently hosted a flu vaccine clinic, offering free shots to those who work and volunteer for Lehigh Valley Health Network.

- To keep our patients safe, to keep us safe, community safe.

- Judy has been a nurse for 50 years.

She's not only making sure she protects herself from the flu, but from COVID 19 as well.

- The pandemic's been pretty much of an impact on all of us.

We've seen that in our communities, our families, our patients.

I think it's important to try to keep us all out of the hospital, and if we do get COVID, not seriously ill. - Thank you.

- You're welcome.

Judy received her third booster shot just days before getting her influenza dose, as did clinical pharmacist Brian Foster.

- I think it's something easy that we can all do to help prevent the spread of disease and protect those that might not be able to protect themselves for other reasons.

- So is it OK to get the two shots at the same time or within days of each other?

- In the last respiratory viral season, we did say that it was safe to give flu and COVID boosters at the same time.

- Dr Alex Benjamin is LVHN's Chief Infection Control and Prevention Officer.

- I think the combination of the two is not going to make symptoms any worse or different.

I think people need to be mindful of what's happening to them in the 24 to 48 hours after they've gotten both injections.

- He says those in the southern hemisphere saw a more intense flu season this year, which could mean the same for the US.

- Some of that is because there hasn't been a lot of influenza in the prior, say, year or two, that people are losing their immunity.

And because the focus was so much on COVID, I think a lot of people said, I'd rather focus on protecting myself from COVID than influenza.

- Benjamin recommends people get the flu vaccine, especially since most are no longer masking, and he suggests a COVID booster shot to anyone who has not had the virus in the past few months.

- If I have a patient who I don't see very frequently in the office, then I say, You know what?

Let's do it.

- Thank you.

- For the 25th year, LVHN will hold its drive-thru influenza vaccine event November 5th at Dorney Park and November 6th at LVHN'S Hecktown Oaks campus.

Both will be open to the public for ages six months and older.

That will do it for this edition of Living In The Lehigh Valley.

I'm Brittany Sweeney, hoping you stay happy and healthy.