A pharmacist gives a patient a flu shot in Miami on Sept. 9, 2025. Associated Press

A lot of people tried to celebrate the recent holidays as they muddled through nasty cold and flu bugs that have been going around, and, according to Butler Memorial Hospital, many are still seeking treatment.

Dr. David Rottinghaus, president of Independence Health System’s physician and provider network, said the number of people hospitalized for flu and COVID-19 in the past couple of months has outpaced the hospitalizations from the same time period last year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the “single best way” to reduce the risk of seasonal flu and its potentially serious complications is to get vaccinated each year.

There are also several common-sense ways to reduce risk and help to stop the spread of germs. The most obvious tip from the CDC is to avoid close contact with those who are sick and to stay home when you are sick. The CDC says it’s OK to return to work when your symptoms are better overall and when you no longer have a fever without the aid of fever-reducing medications.

It’s also the time of year to pay more attention to simple things like washing your hands more often, avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth, and covering your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. Those are the common-sense approaches we’ve been hearing since kindergarten and the tips adults most often remind children about now.

But there are other things we can do to help ourselves as well. We can use air purifiers, let fresh air into our homes whenever possible and spend time outside when we can.

We can also make good hygiene and cleaning a priority. Cleaning surfaces that we touch most frequently, like countertops, handrails, doorknobs, computer keyboards and cellphones, among others, can prevent spreading flu and cold germs.

Focusing on sleep, exercise, drinking plenty of water and eating healthy foods will also help us through cold and flu season.

We can send our children to school — and ourselves to work — with tissues, hand sanitizer and disposable wipes to keep ourselves and our immediate environment as hygienic as possible.

All of those tips will help, but there is no substitute for the flu vaccine, the CDC says. Anyone older than 6 months is advised to get a flu shot every year. The flu can become serious quickly, especially for those who are very young, very old or immunocompromised.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has already reported 42 influenza-related deaths since the start of the 2025-26 flu season. Pennsylvania’s department doesn’t separate pediatric and adult cases, but children can be lost to the flu as well — in Massachusetts, three children have died of the flu this season, in addition to 29 adults.

“It’s not too late to get a flu shot, which can lessen the severity of symptoms if you do get sick,” said Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC chief medical officer.

A COVID-19 booster is also recommended, as 187 people in Pennsylvania have died of COVID since the beginning of the 2025-26 flu season as well.

Let’s do whatever we have to do to keep ourselves, our loved ones and our neighbors as healthy as possible as we kick off the year.

— KL