Boston Children's Health Physicians | Dr Dozor Speaks About This Years Flu Season

November 27, 2019

Flu season is off to an early start this year. Several states have already reported widespread flu activity. Boston Children’s Health Physicians Pediatric Pulmonologist, Dr. Allen Dozor, only expects cases of the flu to rise. Dr. Dozor was interviewed by FOX 5 about what flu symptoms you should be looking out for.

Video Transcript

Newsreporter #1: Latest numbers from the CDC do not bode well for this year's flu season.

Newsreporter #2: It's apparently off to an early start with several states reporting widespread cases. Our Richard Giacovas visited one pharmacy in Westchester that's already struggling to keep the flu shot in stock.

Newsreporter #3: At Rye Beach Pharmacy Tuesday night, pharmacist Sari Steinthal is still hard at work after giving out flu shots since the early morning. 

Sari Steinthal, RPH: So many. On the busiest day sometimes it could be 20 flu shots a day. It depends, every day is different , but yeah we do 10, 20, sometimes even 30.

Newsreporter #3: Not necessarily common just two days before Thanksgiving, but the CDC is warning doctors that thirty states in the U.S., including New York and New Jersey, are already seeing cases of the flu, and five states are showing widespread activity. At this time last year, no states reported widespread flu cases.

Sari Steinthal, RPH: We had some issues getting the high-dose flu vaccine earlier in the season, they were not sending the full orders, so a lot of pharmacies were out. 

Newsreporter #3: Rye Beach Pharmacy was low on the high-dose flu vaccine, which contains four strains of the virus, usually given to those 65 and older or those with a compromised immune system. But Dr. Allen Dozor, who is a Pediatric Pulmonologist in Valhalla, says he only expects cases of the flu to rise through the beginning of 2020.

Dr. Allen Dozor: And there's lots of children getting sick from other viruses that are common in this season, but I would say maybe 10% or 20% of the viruses that we're recovering now are flu. 

Newsreporter #3: Well for now at Rye Beach Pharmacy they are fully stocked with flu vaccines, but the pharmacists here aren't sure how long that will last. Sari's best advice: make sure to get that flu shot before the holiday travel season. 

Sari Steinthal, RPH: So now is a perfect time, do it before the holidays. Before people travel, before you come in contact with the virus out in the community. 

Newsreporter #3: And if you're not sure whether or not you have the flu, doctors say make sure you look for these symptoms. 

Dr. Allen Dozor: What people should look out for is really sick, high fever, lasting for more than a few days, feeling like a truck has run over them. It's really quite dramatic.

Newsreporter #3: Oh and if you feel like that - make sure you stay home and rest, and get that flu shot. In Rye, Richard Giacovas, Fox 5 News.