BALTIMORE —

Heading into the holidays, Maryland is seeing low levels of flu, COVID and RSV.

Doctors said it's important to get your yearly flu shot — especially if you're pregnant. The shot helps both the mother and the baby, according to a doctor at the Mercy Medical Center.

While babies younger than six months old are unable to get the flu shot, Dr. Ashanti Woods, a pediatrician with Mercy Medical Center, said mothers who are vaccinated can pass some of that protection on to their baby once the baby is born.

When women are pregnant, their lungs are more compressed because of the baby. If the mother gets sick, that can cause some complications from getting the flu.

Woods said it doesn't matter what trimester you get your flu shot, but Woods said studies show babies are more protected

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