New York State is entering its second flu season in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, flu transmission was remarkably low across the State, likely as a result of social distancing, mask wearing, and other pandemic-related societal and behavior changes. Now, as schools and businesses reopen, the State must prepare for the certainty of a more severe flu season—all while continuing to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please join NYSHealth for a webinar with Jane Zucker, M.D., M.Sc., Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Immunization, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and Angela Soto, M.P.H., C.P.H., City Research Scientist, DOHMH. The panelists will discuss how DOHMH has adapted its flu prevention work during the pandemic and explore the lessons learned from COVID-19 that can help us fight the flu. For example, how can we make the flu vaccine as freely and widely available as the COVID-19 vaccine? Which communication strategies have proven most effective during the pandemic to combat vaccine hesitancy? Could mandates be an effective tool in increasing flu vaccination? As the State prepares to face two infectious diseases this fall, it is imperative that what we have learned fighting one disease helps to inform the prevention of another.
The webinar will feature a short discussion followed by audience Q&A.