Baltimore’s health commissioner Letitia Dzirasa is urging residents to stay vigilant against COVID-19 with masks and social distancing, but also to protect themselves from the flu. 

At the mayor’s weekly briefing Wednesday morning, Dzirasa said that while the city’s positivity rate continues to decline, the daily count of new cases is 35% higher than last month’s. 

“We are here to remind people to continue to seek COVID testing at one of our mobile testing sites or at a clinical site,” she said. 

She also urged residents to stay safe from not only the virus, but also the flu. Dzirasa warned of a possible “twindemic,” in which a surge of COVID-19 coincides with a severe flu season. 

“We need residents to do everything in their power to stay safe this year and that includes getting a flu vaccine,” Dzirasa said. 

Dzirasa announced a new campaign to encourage residents to get their flu shots. The goal is to get 70% of residents vaccinated by the end of this flu season.