Last cold and flu season, health care professionals saw very few flu cases compared to previous seasons.

Dr. Francisco Xavier Valls of Internal Medicine Associates of Gloucester said that he saw only one or two flu cases last season. One of the side effects of mass masking, social distancing and maintaining good hand hygiene due to the spread of COVID-19 last year was that flu cases were down.

“Those measures helped us greatly,” said Valls.

He said that one silver lining of the pandemic was that there were fewer flu cases nationally last year compared to previous years.

Valls said that the best way to prepare for the upcoming flu season is to get the flu shot this fall, preferably in October. He also said that masking, some social distancing and good hand hygiene are also ways people can protect themselves from the flu.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine if you have not already will also be helpful this fall. Valls said that if people do not get vaccinated, then there could be ...