For the first time since 2020, more people are dying from the flu than from COVID--and cases are high again

If you got your flu shot early in the fall, protection wanes after about 6 months and you may be susceptible again--and this month's cases are unusually high.

While pharmacies start advertising flu shots in early September, protection wanes after about six months, leaving many vulnerable for February, which is often a high flu month. Optimal time to protect for the holidays and through February is to get a flu shot mid- to late-October.

More than 48,000 people in the U.S. were admitted to hospitals with influ…