Walnut Creek Hosts Free Flu Shot Clinic Ahead Of 'Tripledemic'

WALNUT CREEK, CA — It's that time of year again — the dreaded flu season has arrived and Walnut Creek officials are urging the community to get vaccinated.

On Wednesday, the city is inviting the community to sign up for a free flu clinic. From 10 a.m. to noon, vaccines will be free of charge to local residents, regardless of insurance status, according to a release from Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of District 16.

Sign up for a time slot here.

"Still time to RSVP! Hope you will join us and get your flu shot," Bauer-Kahan wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

While Californians have spent nearly three years enduring COVID-19 surges during the winter, state residents could be faced with a stronger version of a familiar foe, the influenza virus.

Now, officials are warning of a potential "tripledemic" if a rise in respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, cases coincide with the seasonal peaks in influenza and COVID-19.

It is suspected that prevention methods to ward off COVID-19 have sent influenza into a dormant state for the last two and a half years. But with masking mandates and other restrictions largely disappearing, this winter season could bring the flu back with a vengeance, according to multiple reports.

“It’s not clear what this fall and winter will be like. However, because there are fewer masks being worn and there’s more intermingling, we’re likely to see much more influenza than we’ve seen in the past two years,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Another warning has come from Australia, which saw an astonishing winter peak of flu cases. Cases reached a height not seen since at least 2017, the Times reported.

What's more, cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a fairly common illness that can cause breathing difficulties in young children, are uncharacteristically high in California for this time of year, straining capacity in local hospitals.

Nationally, some 7,334 RSV tests came back positive for the week ending Oct. 15, up from 6,518 the week before that and 5,210 the week before that, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

READ MORE: RSV Cases Rise In CA: 5 Things To Know About ‘Tripledemic’ Threat

There are no inoculations against RSV as there are for both the flu and COVID-19, but a couple of pharmaceutical companies are working to develop vaccines.

Health officials have said the rise in RSV cases makes it more important than ever to get vaccinated for both COVID-19 and influenza to free up hospital space.

To prevent the spread of RSV, healthcare providers recommend the same precautions they do with influenza and other contagious illnesses: Wash your hands thoroughly and stay home if you’re sick.