With the holidays approaching, the Berrien County Health Department is advising everyone to get their flu and COVID shots.

Health department public health nurse Jamie Bevington tells us they’re following the guidance issued by the state of Michigan, which is that everyone six months and older should be vaccinated against the flu, and that all adults get the COVID vaccine. The shots might not mean you won’t get an illness, but they ought to reduce the effects if you do get sick.

“The flu and COVID vaccines significantly reduce the severe disease that you could get, hospitalizations, and even death,” Bevington said.

Bevington says the peak of the flu season is expected to be around January, when everyone’s been attending gatherings. So now is the right time to get the shots. She says the flu can be quite serious.

“There were, I think, an estimated 360,000 hospitalizations that occurred during the 2022 and 2023 flu season. And the CDC also estimates nearly 20,000 children younger than five are hospitalized each year due to flu complications.”

As of November 1, the flu vaccination rate in Michigan was just shy of 15%.

Anyone can schedule an appointment at the Berrien County Health Department for either or both vaccines by calling. Bevington says most insurances will pay for the shots. The department also has some doses reserved for those who aren’t insured and can’t pay. And, of course, you can always get the shots at a doctor’s office or a pharmacy.