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Flu activity is high in Michigan, but most haven't gotten a flu shot to help avoid severe infection

Michigan's Chief Medical Executive says even young people can get severe flu, and everyone should get the flu vaccine - but that advice is especially aimed at pregnant women, children, older people and those with compromised immune systems or comorbidities.
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Michigan's Chief Medical Executive says even young people can get severe flu, and everyone should get the flu vaccine — but that advice is especially aimed at pregnant women, children, older people and those with compromised immune systems or comorbidities.

The Centers for Disease Control says flu activity in Michigan is high, but less than a quarter of people in Michigan have gotten a flu vaccine since September.

That's a big drop from before the pandemic. Doctor Natasha Bagdasarian, Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan, attributed the decline in vaccination rates to misinformation.

Bagdasarian said you can still get the flu if you get the flu shot "but the goal here, it's not to prevent all cases. It is to keep you out of the hospital, and prevent you from dying, ending up on a ventilator. We know that there are some high risk groups, and we really want to keep those groups safe."

Bagdasarian said the shot reduces the risk of severe infection, hospitalization and death by about a third.

Tracy Samilton covers energy and transportation, including the auto industry and the business response to climate change for Michigan Public. She began her career at Michigan Public as an intern, where she was promptly “bitten by the radio bug,” and never recovered.
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