CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Clinic announced Tuesday it has started accepting flu vaccination appointments. 

While the timing of flu season can vary, the Cleveland Clinic said the flu generally spreads from October-April. The flu vaccine generally takes two to four weeks to provide full protection. 

The Cleveland Clinic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health agencies recommend that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine. 

The CDC says that influenza-related visits to the doctor can be reduced 40-60 percent by flu vaccines. The CDC estimates that vaccinations prevented 7.5 million illnesses, 3.7 million influenza-associated medical visits, 105,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations and 6,300 influenza-associated deaths during the 2019-20 flu season. 

The Cleveland Clinic said vaccinations are especially important for adults age 65 and older, pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions and children younger than age 5.

“Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory infection that can cause mild to severe illness,” said Steven Gordon, chair of the Department of Infectious Disease at Cleveland Clinic. “Like COVID-19, the best way to prevent the spread of influenza is by getting vaccinated. Getting vaccinated and taking simple preventive measures will help keep ourselves, our loved ones and our communities safe as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and we enter flu season.”

The Cleveland Clinic noted that measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 largely prevented the spread of the flu last year. Northeast Ohio had six reported flu-related hospitalizations during the 2020-21 season, according to the Ohio Department of Health. In 2019-20, there were 2,702 hospitalizations tied to the flu in the region. 

The Cleveland Clinic expects an uptick in flu cases compared to last year due to relaxed social distancing measures.

More information on how to receive a flu vaccination can be found at: www.clevelandclinic.org/flu.