BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — National health officials reported earlier this week that three respiratory viruses, influenza, RSV and Covid, are circulating all at once.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise most people to get a flu shot.

The vaccines have arrived at many local health departments across the nation.

Dr. Elizabeth Nelson, M.D., a Beckley physician, said on Friday, September 8, 2023, that it is not too early for people to get a flu vaccine.

She said getting the shot could help vaccinated patients to rule out influenza, if they become ill with a respiratory virus.

“The benefit would be knowing what you’re dealing with,” she explained. “The likelihood goes down, not completely knocked out, but it’s a major decrease in influenza if you get the vaccination.”