Got the following from my health care provider MDVIP. Good info to keep you healthy, safe and hunting throughout the season:

COVID-19 restrictions such as social distancing, frequent handwashing, less travel and masking probably muted last year’s flu season, which researchers feared could be bad due to the pandemic. But flu diagnoses and hospitalizations were the lowest in 15 years.

Ironically, those lower numbers could foretell a bad flu season for 2021-2022. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that reduced population immunity from last year’s light season could cause an early and severe flu season this year.

Protect yourself as best you can by:

  • Talk to you doctor about getting a flu shot this year— flu shots help protect you against the season’s predominant strains of influenza.
  • Influenza and COVID-19 have a lot of similar symptoms – sneezing, coughing, chest congestion, aches/pains and fever. However, each virus is treated differently. If you begin experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to you doctor immediately. They may suggest you get a combined COVID-19 and flu swab test. This combined test panel is a lot more convenient than two separate tests and helps your doctor diagnose you and begin treatments quicker.
  • Fortify your immune system by getting good quality sleep, managing stress, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol, avoiding tobacco and eating immune building foods. Add citrus and tropical fruits with vitamin C (oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, etc.) to your grocery list.
  • Season your food with garlic, ginger and turmeric. These herbs have powerful health benefits. Garlic helps ward off infections, while ginger and turmeric have anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Serve side dishes with spinach, broccoli and/or red bell pepper. These vegetables are high in nutrients such as antioxidants, which help slow cellular damage and help prevent diseases.
  • Snack on almonds and sunflower seeds that are high in vitamin E, another vitamin known for its immune boosting qualities.
  • Drink green tea. It’s high in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant that helps maintain immune function.