We agreed with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week when she urged state residents to get their flu shot in the weeks ahead.

Whitmer, who Tuesday, during a COVID-19 update and press conference demonstrated to the public how easy it was to get a flu shot by getting one herself, urged residents to follow her lead. Her justification for doing so was to avoid possibly overloading state hospitals later this year with both flu and coronavirus patients at the same time.

She would like to see a 33% increase in state residents who get a flu shot this season, which is about 1 million more than the 3.2 million who received a shot last year.

“Preventing the flu will help us save lives and preserve the health care resources we need to continue fighting COVID-19,” Whitmer said.

We know there are many “anti-vaxers” out there, and we respect your opinion, but we would argue that, when you look at the diseases eradicated by vaccinations over the past 50 years, there is compelling evidence to support vaccinations.

We also hold out hope that a vaccination for COVID-19 might be available late this year or early next year, which we believe could make a real difference in returning to life as it used to be.

By getting both vaccinations, residents would be doing everything possible to stay healthy and be safe.

—  The Alpena News