It is a public health message that goes out every fall, but this year the calls for people to get vaccinated against flu and COVID are more urgent.

Health officials are bracing for a severe flu season and urging residents to get vaccinated against flu, COVID-19 and RSV, if they are eligible. The message comes at a time when many hospitals are already overcrowded.

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Dr. Virginia Roth, chief of staff at The Ottawa Hospital, is among those urging people to get vaccinated, especially those at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19, flu and RSV. Health officials are concerned because of the severe flu seasons reported in Australia and elsewhere.

“We have been watching it and we are bracing ourselves for a pretty severe flu season,” Roth says.

In addition to people pro

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