Your questions about the flu shots, answered

"With all the talk about Covid-19 vaccines and boosters, it's easy to forget that another dangerous respiratory virus is poised to strike — the flu," Fran Kritz reports for NPR. "Experts worry that we could be heading into a big flu season, especially if enough Americans do not get their annual flu shot, which is now widely available."

The flu could be especially dangerous this year: "Most years as many as 12,000 to 52,000 people die from the flu in the U.S. But the unusually mild flu season last year means that fewer people have immunity to strains likely to be circulating this winter," Kritz reports. "That could lead to anywhere from 100,000 to 400,000 additional hospitalizations for influenza."

Since hospitals are already short on beds because of the pandemic, it's more important than ever to protect yourself from the flu, health experts told Kritz. Click here for a list of commonly asked—and answered—questions about the flu shot this year.