Well, if you've been putting off getting your flu vaccine, you may want to reconsider.

The Lexington Health Department says it's seeing an increase in the number of people getting sick.

Hundreds of flu cases have now been confirmed in the city.

Nearly 90% of those were among people who were not vaccinated.

And it's not just the flu.

COVID cases are once again on the rise.

Kevin Hall with the Lexington Health Department says these numbers are only a fraction of the total cases out there.

More in today's medical news.

We've been seeing the numbers go up the last couple of weeks.

So we were anticipating this because people started getting together for Thanksgiving prior to the actual holiday as the weather has been colder.

This is the time of year for flu season to really pick up.

And you're going to start seeing that with COVID as well.

Unfortunately, there's no real way to get a true count of what actually exists with the flu or even right now with COVID, because COVID tests don't count the home test kits, which so many people are using.

So right now it's estimated that each year about 10% of the population gets the flu.

So here in Lexington, that's going to be more than 30,000 people getting sick.

Now, most of those would never go to the doctor.

Most of those are never getting tested and getting confirmed.

But it doesn't mean they're not sick and it doesn't mean they don't have the risk of spreading that to other people.

The last two weeks, we've seen 720 new cases of COVID here in Lexington, which is the most in a two week period since mid-February.

So what does that mean?

It means it's not over.

It's still spreading.

And we need to get focused on two things.

One, getting the new shot that is the best and easiest and most effective way to prevent and slow down the spread of COVID.

But we can also take these other things that we've kind of put out of mind for so long, which includes staying home when you're sick.

You have those symptoms, the body aches, the fevers, cough, sore throat.

Stay home and don't risk spreading that to others.

Also, if you're in a crowded public area, put on a mask to protect yourself not only from COVID, but from the flu, RSV, the cold.

So many things circulating this time of the year.

And then finally, make sure that you are washing your hands frequently, particularly if you're out in public.

You want to wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.

The uninsured or underinsured can get flu free flu and COVID 19 shots at the Lexington Health Department.

Those with insurance can get vaccines at area pharmacies or medical providers.

You can visit Vaccines.gov online for more options.