SALT LAKE CITY — Frequently wash your hands, get vaccinated and stay away from crowded areas to minimize your chance of contracting the flu.  That’s the advice from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to help prevent the spread of influenza. 

Doctors say this year’s flu season is shaping up to be a bad one.  So far, more than 5-times as many people have been hospitalized this year than in the past decade.

The rate of positive flu tests is typically 3.4% of all people tested.  And while more people this year are being tested, the positivity rate is up to almost 13%. 

The lessons learned from the pandemic of wearing masks and having well ventilated spaces will hold true during flu season as well, according to the CDC. 

They are also reminding people that there are medications available to treat the flu; but only if its taken early in the symptoms of the virus.  So seek out medical attention as soon as possible.

Related:

• A potentially severe flu season may leave blood supply short in the U.S.
• Flu and other respiratory virus activity continues to ramp up across the US

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