The state Health Department is again urging people to get their flu vaccines.
The Department says plenty of vaccine will be available.
"The last flu season was especially bad," said Health Department epidemiologist Jill Baber. "It had the highest number of reported cases on record -- 6,443 cases. We identified 275 hospitalizations and 54 deaths."
Baber says last season’s vaccine didn’t quite match the strains of flu that were circulating – but for people who got it, the vaccination helped keep the seriousness in-check.
"We do think it will be a better match this year, said Health Department field medical officer Joan Connell. "However, as you know from previous years, we need to get into the middle of the season to truly know what's going to happen."
The state has received nearly 178,000 doses of vaccine – so Baber says there’s plenty of it available.
