SEATTLE — Mia Hollett,11, got her flu shot Thursday morning at Bartell’s in Seattle’s University Village.
Doctors say now is the time to get your shot ahead of when the flu starts to sweep the region. Researchers say we’re mirroring last year so far when flu activity built in November and started to spike in early December.
“It didn't hurt,” said Hollett who went to school late at Villa Academy in order to get her flu shot. “It was like a quick pinch and then it was over.”
KIRO 7 Anchor John Knicely talked to a head researcher with Columbia University's flu predictor about what's expected in Western Washington.
“We do see certain levels of activity on a regional basis,” said Dr. Jeffrey Shaman. “They're indicative of a rise in activity.”
Dr. Shaman said the activity right now mirrors what we saw this time last year. Flu activity started to ramp up in November and then skyrocketed in December peaking January 17. The flu predictor will be released mid-November once activity starts to grow more.
Researchers told KIRO 7 their flu predictor is like predicting this storm expected Friday in Western Washington. You can't make predictions until you start to see activity. So as the storm builds or flu numbers build you can more accurately predict what comes next.
And this year, Columbia researchers are using an algorithm Google came up with that looks at online searches related to flu to get a better sense of flu activity in specific local areas.
“The interesting thing is they can take that big data online search activity and estimate something the CDC gets and compiles and usually has to release with a week or 2 lag,” said Shaman.
Bottom line is the flu season hasn't started to ramp up. Gretchen Hollett said she hasn’t heard of her daughter’s classmates staying home sick just yet.
“I don't think there's been very many who've been out of school who's had the flu,” said Hollett. “So I do think it's important to get the shot before the flu hits.”
Doctors say she's right on. The flu shot takes two weeks in your system to offer the maximum defense.
Hollett also got a free treat.
Since it’s a little harder to get FluMist this year, all CareClinics run by Group Health at Bartell Drugs are giving kids a free piece of candy if they get the shot, to help encourage the vaccine.
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