JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It's almost Valentine's Day but if you figure it's too late to get your flu shot, think again.
The Centers for Disease Control say we haven't even hit the worst peak of flu season. Flu activity in Florida and Georgia is listed as "high" right now.
Last season, 2018-2019, CDC data showed 61,000 people died from the flu. So the CDC is saying you should get vaccinated if you haven't yet.
According to Dr. Almond Toledo with Baptist Primary Care in Jacksonville, getting a flu shot "decreases your chance of getting infected by the flu by 60 percent."
Dr. Mobene Rathore, an expert on infectious diseases with UF Health and Baptist, says getting the vaccine is just smart. He explains, "If you have the flu vaccine and you get the flu, you'll get sick, but not as sick as you would have been without the vaccine."
In fact, he says it could spare you from a hospital stay or even death from flu complications.
Dr. Rathore says the flu season in Florida typically runs until May, so we aren't out of the woods yet.