For the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the headlines. Naturally, this means when people find themselves with COVID-like symptoms they often immediately think that they must have contracted it.

However, that age-old, super-annoying flu hasn’t gone anywhere, and many people who think they have COVID end up finding out that yes, the flu is still here, and it stills wants its annual winter-heyday!

This is why it’s still important to get jabs like the Afluria Quad flu vaccine to reduce the risk of flu on top of that nasty Coronavirus.

Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t skip on the flu vaccine just because that other nuisance is hanging round:

• It can prevent you from getting the flu

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu vaccine can potentially stop you from getting the flu in the first place. This is going to be important in Australian major cities, where the return to the workplace may coincide with a heavy flu season.

A heavy flu season may cause a lot of in-office confusion alongside the ongoing pandemic, so being vaccinated against both the flu and COVID-19 may be a great option for arming yourself this winter.

• Flu vaccination can reduce the flu’s severity

Flu vaccination has the awesome potential to stop you from getting the flu in the first place. However, if you do end up experiencing the flu, being vaccinated against it can go a long way to reducing its severity.

The flu can be an extremely unpleasant illness – we all know this – and the last thing we want after all this ongoing nonsense is for the flu to bog us down for weeks!

So, if you’re worried about the flu making you sick for an extended period of time, or the flu having a really unpleasant impact, perhaps the flu vaccine can reduce those concerns and, consequently, reduce its impact if you catch it this winter?

• The flu vaccine can reduce hospitalisation risk

Make no mistake about it: the flu can land you in hospital. No matter your age or health level, the flu is one of those nasty bugs that can take a random turn for the worse and have you heading for the nearest medical centre.

However, the flu vaccine can potentially stop this from happening. Given its ability to potentially stop the flu in its tracks or at least greatly reduce its severity, it is much more likely that you will just pass your flu time taking it easy on the couch or even undertaking minor jobs around the home!

• It can stop you from infecting others

Nobody wants the flu, and nobody wants to be that person who went around spreading the flu like it was something to do. Also, you don’t want to be the butt of the blame when it comes to someone you know having a really annoying case of influenza.

Given that the flu vaccine has the potential to stop you from getting the illness in the first place and reduce its length/severity, the risk of you spreading the illness to friends, family, colleagues etc. is greatly reduced.

• It’s an important vaccine for at-risk people

Many people have comorbidities that make them more susceptible to the flu’s severity. With the flu vaccine potentially stopping people from catching it or reducing its severity, there is a reduced risk of these people experiencing the heightened dangers associated with the flu.