THUNDER BAY — As the new school year gets underway, public health officials are reminding families that cold and flu season isn't far away.
Diana Gowanlock, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit's director of health protection, said it's important for parents to monitor their children's health when going back to school.
"Stay home if you're sick, you want to avoid close contact with those that are at increased risk for more serious illness if you are sick," she said.
"You want to use the provincial screening tool and follow instructions that it might give you. You can consider wearing a well-fitted mask as an additional layer, especially around those who might again be at higher risk of severe illness."
While the health unit can't predict how a flu season will go, they are able to look back at previous years, with Gowanlock noting that last year started earlier.
"Historically, respiratory diseases, which include influenza RSV and now COVID-19, they do circulate in higher numbers generally between November and April every year," she said. "We have seen some atypical seasons, especially last year. The respiratory season started earlier and had definitely more of an impact."
COVID-19 also remains present, with another new variant recently confirmed. Gowanlock provided advice on when people should get a booster dose.
"We are advising people that they should consider waiting until fall 2023 COVID-19 vaccine campaign starts," she said.
As in the past, those with the highest risk factors will receive the booster first, she added.
"In the initial first few weeks, we generally target more of a priority population, which usually includes those that are hospitalized, and hospital staff, long-term care residents and their staff and caregivers and then it generally expands from there to additional high-risk groups, which are people over 65 residents and staff with congregate living settings, pregnant women, children between six months and four years," she said.
She did provide positive reasoning to those who are able to wait to get a booster shot.
"If you wait, it will maximize your protection for when we expect the circulation of the viruses to peak. A newer formulation of the COVID-19 vaccine will likely be available then."
The CLE clinic will be reopening for the flu season in early October, and is expected to accept patients on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. It will be appointment-based for the first couple of weeks, then switching to having walk-in availability by mid-October.
