| Updated: 2/17/2011 9:52 pm |
Published: 2/17/2011 7:07 pm
|
More flu deaths in Oklahoma have people looking to protect themselves.
There have been 12 confirmed deaths due to complications from the flu this year.
Fox 23's Jamie Oberg is live in east Tulsa to explain who needs to get a flu shot right now.
Don't let the warmer weather fool you.
It's still flu season, the peak time for the flu is this month.
Kids and elderly need to get shots if they haven't already...but with the spread of the flu, the Health Department says anyone over 6 months old needs a flu shot.
"Have you gotten the flu shot? No I haven't,” William Johnson said. “Why? I really don't believe in them. I just don't like the fact of putting the virus in you."
William Johnson is a skeptic when it comes to the flu shot; but Carol Spears says it's kept her healthy for two years now.
"I had a bout with pneumonia a couple years ago, don't want to go through that again, sometimes there's complications...I decided right then and there I'd get a flu shot after that."
The Tulsa Health Department says anyone over the age of 6 months should get the flu shot.
“We are seeing an increase in hospitalizations because of the flu, not just in Tulsa Co., but across the state."
"Eighty-six percent of the hospitalizations we've seen from the flu are people who did not get the flu shot."
William Johnson is still stubborn when it comes to his flu shot beliefs, but says these little ones get a flu shot for sure.
“They do, their mom's for it and I support what she does but I'm not for it,” he said.
The Tulsa health department says mom knows best, 50 percent of those hospitalized in Oklahoma from flu are under 18 years old.
The Tulsa Health Department says there’s plenty of flu vaccine in Green Country, they typically see a peak in flu hospitalizations in February but say we could see more this spring.
"I didn't realize that. So maybe we should be thinking about getting our flu shots if we haven't right?" Carol said.
