While the focus is on COVID-19 outbreak, influenza season cannot be ignored. Just like coronavirus, influenza virus can spread with mild infections.

Influenza is a viral infection that attacks the nose, lungs and throat. Last year more than 39 million people got sick with influenza according to estimates of CDC. So the question is what will this winter be like with both COVID-19 and flu in the mix? The specialist exactly doesn’t know yet.

But there are certain steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones, and help keep the hospitals from becoming overwhelmed with sick patients this flu season. The flu season may start in October and doesn’t rear its heads until January or February. Influenza virus and coronavirus are both spreading in similar ways so it is likely to use face masks, maintain social distance and other actions to reduce the spread of flu and coronavirus. Face Masks provide a physical barrier for large particle respiratory droplets when an infected person sneezes or coughs.

What kind of flu season do experts expect?

Flu season won’t be as light as last year, says infectious disease specialist Kristin Englund, MD.

“Unfortunately, we’re expecting to have a worse flu season this year.”

The difference comes down to COVID-related changes in behavior.“Last year, we had many areas where there were mask mandates, where businesses were closed down,”Dr. Englund says. “People were really paying very close attention to socially isolating and hand hygiene.”

In many places, this year looks quite different, she adds. “We’re seeing many more people going out without masks. As a result, even if they’re protected from COVID by being vaccinated, they’re not protected from influenza unless they’ve gotten the flu vaccine.”

To get an idea of how heavy or light our flu season will be, we can sometimes look to patterns in the Southern Hemisphere, Dr. Englund says. That’s also not quite as reliable this year. “It’s going to be very different because they have maintained a lot of their prevention strategies, where we have loosened a lot of ours.”

Complicating matters further is that the flu and COVID-19 often have overlapping symptoms. “Influenza can be deadly on its own,” Dr. Englund says. “But it’s going to be very difficult for people to understand whether they have COVID or influenza during this timeframe because more people will have symptoms.”

How to prepare yourself with the flu?

Both the flu and coronavirus are serious illnesses. Prepare yourself and your loved ones.

•  Wear a mask:

 Even if you’re vaccinated  for COVID and the flu  you should still mask up while in public. “I would encourage you to wear masks during the respiratory illness season,” Dr. Englund says. “There’s a lot of different viruses that can cause harm, not just COVID.”

• Get your flu shot:

Research shows that the flu vaccine can reduce the risk of flu illness and makes it less likely that you would get severely ill even if you did become infected. There is no vaccine for coronavirus yet but you can protect yourself from the spread of viral infection. The CDC recommends that anyone over the age of 6 months can get vaccinated. It is advisable to get a flu shot early October to prepare for the beginning parts of flu season.

•  Stay vigilant with safety precautions:

Just like coronavirus, flu infection also spread through drops from a person’s nose or mouth. All the safety measures taken to prevent spread of noble coronavirus such as masking, staying six feet away, frequent washing of hands etc. Can also be followed for flu season. This will reduce your chances of being exposed to a flu virus.

• Know what to do if you get sick:

Influenza virus and covid-19 have similar symptoms such as cough, fever, muscle aches and difficulty in breathing. If you develop any of the above symptoms, immediately get in touch with your doctor. The doctor will better advise you what can be done and if a test for the flu or COVID-19 should be conducted.

• Stock your medicine cabinet:

If you get a mild symptom of the flu or COVID-19, stay home and feel better until you get well to avoid passing it on to others. Doctors recommend keeping a few things handy just in case any of the symptoms takes place, a fever reducer such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), cough syrup, thermometer, ibuprofen for muscle aches. To measure the level of oxygen it is vital to keep a pulse oximeter at home.

Winter is the time for another contagious illness like respiratory syncytial virus (which commonly affects children) and norovirus ( a stomach bug). Taking necessary precautions for covid and flu virus will also help keep these illnesses at bay. Washing your hands frequently, practicing good cough etiquette, disinfecting hard surfaces with sanitizers and staying home while you’re sick are good practices to take in winter no matter what.

But with an extra layer of deadly disease, COVID-19 the care should also come extra. If we all want to go back to our normal lives where watching a movie in theatre, eating in restaurants, playing in the garden, sending kids to school safely we need to practice all the above preventive measures and understand that we are not just protecting ourselves but also people around us.

• Stay home if you are sick -and get tested for COVID-19:

If you get the flu or COVID-19, you’ll want to stay home until you feel better to avoid passing it on to others. Still, because both viruses have similar symptoms, you’ll also want to get tested for COVID-19 as soon as you can. “Take care of yourself,” Dr. Englund says. “Make sure that you’re getting tested. Make sure that you’re not going into work and that you’re isolating yourself until you can get tested and know what you’re dealing with and how best to treat yourself.”

Winter is also prime time for other contagious viral illnesses like respiratory syncytial virus or RSV (which commonly infects children) and norovirus (a stomach bug). Many of the recommendations for curbing the spread of COVID-19 and the flu can also help keep these viruses at bay. Washing your hands frequently, disinfecting high-touch surfaces often, practicing good cough etiquette, and staying home when you’re sick are good practices during the winter no matter what.

But with the added layer of COVID-19 still in play, they’re extra important. “I we’re going to have to get very comfortable with practicing all of these preventative measures,” Dr. Englund says. “Masks, for example, may become a routine part of our lives during these severe respiratory illness seasons. And that’s ok, if we’re able to protect people and lower the number of deaths. With these preventative measures, we’re not only protecting ourselves, but we’re protecting those around us.”