PIERCE COUNTY — Flu season is here and getting a flu shot may be the single most important thing Pierce County residents can do to protect themselves, their families and the community.  That’s why Pierce County has launched the Spread Love, Not the Flu campaign, and findyourflushot.com, which makes finding the closest provider as easy as a couple of clicks.

In 2020, with COVID-19, flu shots are crucial for several reasons. For instance, the symptoms of the flu and COVID are so similar our health care system may become overloaded with people who don’t know if they have Coronavirus or the flu.

The campaign is aiming to have 70% of Pierce County residents six months and older get a flu shot. Last year, local estimates are that about 51% got immunized.

“Getting a flu shot in 2020 is more important than ever because COVID-19 is already putting many people in danger. Adding flu season to the equation increases the risk for everyone,” said Dr. Ken Farmer, director of the Office of Disaster Recovery with Pierce County. “Not only is there increased risk to us as individuals, but not having flu shots also puts our healthcare system at risk of getting overwhelmed.”

Pierce County will provide free flu shots at pop-up clinics around the county in the near future. In the meantime, there are free drive-thru locations available, as well as many providers that accept insurance. For more information about finding your flu shot, visit findyourflushot.com