Up to 168 million doses of the flu vaccine will be available during the 2018-19 flu season, according to The Washington Post.
Here are four things to know:
1. The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older receive a flu shot by the end of October.
2. Vaccination reduces the risk of flu-related hospitalizations by about 40 percent, according to the CDC.
3. The nasal spray FluMist, which was not recommended the past two flu seasons, is considered an acceptable alternative to the flu shot this season.
4. During the 2017-18 flu season, about 900,000 people were hospitalized due to the virus and about 80,000 people died, including 180 children, most of whom were unvaccinated.
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