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With cold weather coming, doctors recommend COVID, flu vaccines

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(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Cook County officials and medical professionals are encouraging people to get their annual vaccinations as the cooler weather pushes more people indoors with one another.

Even as the pandemic wanes, Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha said COVID is still very much around.


"Presently, it is the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S. after heart disease, cancer and unintentional injury," he said.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said it's important to focus on messages from doctors and medical professionals like Dr. Claudia Fegan, the county's medical director.

"COVID vaccines work. They reduce the risk of death and hospitalization and then reduce the risk of long COVID," Fegan said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, last flu season at least 26 million people got the flu; at least 290,000 people were hospitalized by it and at least 17,000 people died

"We did have a mild flu season last year, but the one thing I can say about influenza is that it is unpredictable. We don't know what it's going to happen this year," Dr. Sharon Welbel said.

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