Inside STAT: Pharmacies are bracing for a surge in demand for flu shots amid the Covid-19 pandemic

A NURSE PRACTITIONER PROVIDES A FLU VACCINE TO A PATIENT IN FLORIDA. HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY WIDESPREAD FLU VACCINE COVERAGE WILL BE CRUCIAL THIS YEAR. (JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES)

Flu season is almost upon those of us in the Northern Hemisphere and experts are bracing themselves for the double impact of respiratory symptoms caused by the influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. “This year is one of the most important — if not the most important — flu season in our generation,” Rite Aid's director of operations Christopher Savarese tells STAT's Priyanka Runwal. The pharmacy chain has purchased 40% more supplies of this year's flu vaccine than usual, in a trend observed across other hospitals and pharmacies across the U.S. It's not just about preventing the flu, experts say. "[T]he more we can reduce transmission of influenza in the country, the less stressed our health care systems will be as Covid and flu viruses start circulating together,” one expert shares. Read more here.