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If you go into a store — or even your office right now — chances are you’ll hear someone coughing or sneezing. Achoo!

Yep, it’s that time of year again. You know the one if you’ve lived in the South long enough. It’s 40 degrees in the morning. It’s 80 degrees for a few hours in the afternoon. But this is normal weather for Georgia. 

Random snow and then heat? That’s just a good afternoon here.

But all of this up-and-down weather wreaks havoc on our sinuses. Throw in the cold spurts we get, and more people are inside, meaning it’s easier for germs to spread.

Based on all the sneezing and coughing we hear right now, we think it’s clear a lot of sickness is going around. For instance, we know that flu cases are on the rise in the area.

Across the state line, the Alabama Department of Public Health said we’re seeing the highest influenza activity at this point of the season since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Anyone who remembers those days remembers how quickly the swine flu got passed around from person to person. Hopefully, we won’t see anything near that crazy this year, especially given that COVID is seemingly calming down compared to where it’s been over the last two years.

The easiest way to avoid getting sick is to get your flu shot. It would’ve been great to have already had the shot, but it’s not too late. You can still get it and have it be effective during the worst part of the flu season. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today — get the flu shot and stay healthy.

Many of us have been sick during the holiday months the last few years thanks to COVID. This year the flu might be our biggest opponent to a healthy Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don’t let it mess up your plans.