WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The number of flu cases is going up, and a woman in West Palm Beach is making it her mission to encourage everyone to get the flu shot.
Mindy Basis originally thought she could not get one because of her allergies.
But in 2019, she wound up in the hospital in a coma because of a severe case of the flu. Since then, she's been advocating for people to get a flu shot, which she now gets every year.
"And really make sure that you do get the flu vaccine, because if I did, then maybe I would not have had all of the bad health issues that I had, being on life support and having to go through all of the awful experiences that I had that I still talk about," Basis said.
"We are already seeing complications from influenza, a marked increase in hospitalizations from influenza, and consequently, complications from influenza," said Dr. Kitonga Kiminyo, the vice president of the T. Leroy Jefferson Medical Society. "We've already had more than a thousand people die from influenza this year alone. And within the last few weeks, five pediatric deaths. So we are certainly seeing an uptick in cases in both the outpatient setting and in the hospitals."
Doctors recommend everyone six months and older get a flu shot. Also, people who are at high risk, those who are at least 65, people who have diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, COPD, and asthma.
