At the 2019 Golden Globe Awards, hosts Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh arranged for healthcare workers to come onstage and offer audience members free flu shots — a first for a Hollywood awards show.

But we wonder how up to date people are going to be with this year's flu shot. One study that looked at managed Medicaid and some Medicare-related claims (not those at pharmacies or through other types of insurance) found that flu inoculations dropped by up to 35% in 2020 compared with 2019. 

This year, we hope everyone who is eligible receives the flu shot. Not only will it reduce your risk for influenza and lessen your symptoms if you do get it, the flu shot helps fight off COVID-19 symptoms too.

A study in the journal PLOS One looked at information on more than 74,000 people and found that if you contract COVID-19, the flu vaccine can help you avoid admission to an emergency department or ICU and protect you against complications such as sepsis, stroke, and deep vein thrombosis.

This year's flu shots will be quadrivalent (covering four strains of the virus), and 87% will be thimerosal-free or thimerosal-reduced. (Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative.) And about 18% will be egg-free.

They're expected to be available in September and can be administered along with other vaccines (like a COVID-19 booster) without worrying about the timing, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee.

So get double benefits with one vaccination — it'll be a real shot in the arm for better health.