Alayna Calaway, a medical assistant at Mosaic Community Health, holds a supply box of prefixed syringes and influenza vaccines.  

With COVID-19 still lingering and seasonal flu season starting up, health care professionals say now is the time to get vaccinated.

And although seasonal flu has been relatively mild in recent years, there’s no telling what will happen this year. Last year’s flu season, which runs October to May, peaked early, officials said.

“The so-called triple-demic did not pan out last year, but we’re always worried,” said Emily Horton, Deschutes County Health Services emergency preparedness and COVID-19 recovery program manager. “It did come in waves and then ebbed, but we’re always worried.”

The “triple-demic” would have been simultaneous surges of COVID-19, seasonal flu and respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV.

It’s recommended that people have a conversation with their health care professional and evaluate risks, Horton said.

While clinics around Bend have not seen many seasonal flu cases yet, there is concern that these respiratory illnesses could converge and make people sick. People can still contract these illnesses even though they’re vaccinated, said Diana Burden, Mosaic Community Health nurse practitioner and clinic medical director in Prineville. The vaccine does protect them from serious illness, hospitalization and possibly death.

“We’re definitely encouraging vaccinations,” Burden said. “Our patients can begin to self-schedule next week for influenza vaccinations. We’re encouraging patients to get the new COVID-19 vaccine too.”

Vaccines for seasonal flu and RSV are already at Central Oregon clinics and health care facilities, but the new COVID-19 vaccine — approved on Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — probably won’t be available for a few weeks.

“We’re heading into respiratory illness season,” Burden said. “Now it’s not just cold and flu. We have vaccines available to help protect them against more than one virus now.”

The new COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for people ages 6 and older, regardless of whether they’ve received the original vaccines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new vaccine will protect against severe illness from the common variants circulating, according to the CDC.

People age 65 and older and those who are immune compromised may be eligible for additional doses, but they should consult with their physicians. Children ages 6 months to 5 years may need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines, depending on how many doses they received previously, according to the CDC.

People interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to go to a pharmacy or health care provider, said Horton.

And the RSV vaccine is approved for people ages 60 and older, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

“For many people, insurance will cover the cost of the vaccines,” Horton said. “It’s important for people to talk to their provider or pharmacist about what vaccines for flu, COVID-19 or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will be right for them.”

The county will provide COVID-19 vaccinations for those who are uninsured and underinsured, but everyone else is encouraged to see their medical professional, Horton said. The new COVID-19 vaccines will require health care providers to receive the vaccines directly from the manufacturers, rather than receiving them from the federal government, which is how they were dispersed during the pandemic, according to the health authority.

The Deschutes County Health Services department offers these tips to protecting yourself against the respiratory viruses that are circulating:

• Talk to your doctor to make a plan if you are at risk.

• Update your medicine cabinet with staples like pain relievers, decongestants and cough medicine.

• Check your kitchen pantry to make sure you have food that stores well and is nourishing when you are ill.

• Stock up on tissues, hand soap and sanitizer.

• Stay home when you’re sick.

• Consider wearing a mask in crowded places.