{"id":928292,"date":"2026-10-10T22:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T22:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/928292\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T22:52:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T22:52:11","slug":"flu-season-starts-early-what-canadians-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/928292\/","title":{"rendered":"Flu season starts early: What Canadians need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch discusses the early start to this year\u2019s flu season and urges the public to build immunity through vaccination. <\/p>\n

Flu season is getting an early start in Canada, and an infectious disease specialist says people should not wait for cases to surge before taking steps to protect themselves.<\/p>\n

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist, told CTV News Channel on Saturday that flu activity is appearing earlier than in recent years, while COVID-19 levels are in line with expectations and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV<\/a>) activity remains low for now.<\/p>\n

\"FederalFlu season cough fever COVID-19 Federal government data found that more people getting COVID-19, influenza as well as the cough and fever, as of Sept. 26, 2026. (Pexels) <\/p>\n

With respiratory viruses expected to circulate more widely through the fall, he says vaccination and simple preventive measures can help reduce the risk of illness.<\/p>\n

Why getting a flu shot now matters<\/p>\n

The timing of vaccination is important because protection does not develop immediately after receiving a shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know once people get the vaccine, it\u2019s going to take about 10 days to 2 weeks for an individual to achieve that level of immunity that we would like them to against the flu,\u201d Bogoch said.<\/p>\n

With the flu circulating in many parts of the country, he said getting vaccinated now is a good idea for those who have access to the vaccine.<\/p>\n

\"\"COVID-19 and influenza vaccines will be free, according to New Brunswick Public Health. COVID-19 and influenza vaccines will be free, according to New Brunswick Public Health. <\/p>\n

However, access remains a challenge because vaccine programs are rolling out at different speeds across Canada, and some people may have to pay for a flu shot in certain regions.<\/p>\n

Bogoch said more flexible programs that \u201clower barriers\u201d to vaccination could help ensure people receive protection when they need it.<\/p>\n

Can you tell flu, COVID-19 and RSV apart?<\/p>\n

Although the three respiratory infections can cause different levels of illness, their symptoms can overlap considerably, making it difficult for people to identify which virus they have based on how they feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou absolutely can\u2019t tell these infections apart. I think it would be extremely challenging,\u201d Bogoch said.<\/p>\n

He said people should pay attention to the severity of their symptoms rather than trying to determine the virus on their own.<\/p>\n

\"Here\u2019sHere\u2019s why Ontario could see a tough flu season Flu season is starting early. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we\u2019re talking about the youngest, infants and little children, look for the number of wet diapers, look for feeding behaviour, look for change in behaviour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Difficulty breathing, dehydration or being too ill to manage at home are warning signs that medical attention may be needed. People who are concerned about their symptoms should seek advice from a health-care professional.<\/p>\n

How to reduce your risk<\/p>\n

Vaccination is one way to lower the risk of respiratory infections and, if infection occurs, potentially reduce the severity of illness.<\/p>\n

Bogoch also emphasized the importance of staying home when sick, including keeping children home from school when they are unwell.<\/p>\n

\"\"am800-news-kids-school-face-masks-istock-1.13030442 School child wearing face mask during corona virus and flu outbreak. Boy and girl going back to school after covid-19 quarantine and lockdown. Group of kids in masks for coronavirus prevention. <\/p>\n

He said masks can help reduce the risk of infection, while improving indoor air quality can limit the spread of respiratory viruses.<\/p>\n

Hand hygiene remains important, because some respiratory infections can spread through contact.<\/p>\n

As the season progresses, Bogoch said, taking these precautions can help protect individuals and those around them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch discusses the early start to this year\u2019s flu season and urges the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":928293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[712,49,48,84],"class_list":["post-928292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-apple-news","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=928292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/928293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=928292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=928292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=928292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}