When: Wednesday, October 21, 2020 Time: Noon
Where: Monterey County Media Briefing via Zoom and YouTube Live Stream
What: Medical experts from all four Monterey County hospitals share information the public needs to know about the flu season during the COVID-19 pandemic

Presenters:

Flu season during COVID (Dr. Martha Blum, Medical Director, Infection Prevention, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula):

• What is the same and different about symptoms of flu and COVID-19?
• Who is most vulnerable?
• How dangerous is the flu season expected to be?
• When does season start and end?

Prevention/vaccine (Carla Spencer, RN, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System):

• Will COVID-19 preventative measures reduce flu severity or spread?
• How effective is the flu vaccine this year?
• Should you get the flu shot now or wait?
• Where are the free clinics and locations to get a flu shot?
• How will COVID-19 and flu strain hospitals?

When to seek medical attention (Dr. Craig Walls, Chief Medical Officer, Natividad):

• When should you seek emergency care?
• How will hospitals and medical care providers determine if you have flu or COVID-19?
• How safe is the emergency room and getting medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Quarantining (Dr. Nesreen Khraisha, Infectious Disease Specialist, Mee Memorial):

• If you have symptoms of flu, what are the rules around quarantining?
• What are the myths around flu?

To be included as a media representative on the Monterey County Media Briefings or with questions about the briefings, please contact Maia Carroll, Communications Coordinator, Monterey County at carrollm@co.monterey.ca.us.