(WASHINGTON, D.C) — Last week the buzziest word to come from the COVID-19 pandemic was “hygiene theater,” referencing the over abundance of sanitation efforts to quell customer’s anxieties about the virus.  This week, the new buzz word among health experts is “twindemic.”

Health officials have continuously expressed concern over the possibility of the COVID-19 pandemic overlapping with the flu due to the real possibility of overwhelming hospitals and causing even more death.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases held a news conference, attended by Doctor Anthony Fauci, that called for Americans to get their flu shot.

Fauci recommended shots for everyone over six months of age, adding, “We’re at greatest risk of becoming seriously ill.”

Fauci also recommended mitigating risk of exposure by taking “everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs” on top of getting vaccinated.

While the flu vaccine is not 100 percent effective, health experts say the shot can reduce the severity of symptoms.  In addition, the flu vaccine last year is credited for preventing 7.5 million infections, on top of 6,300 flu-related deaths.

Now, with COVID-19 creating an additional threat, officials strongly urge people to get their flu shot as the illness can “exacerbate underlying conditions and lead to life-threatening complications, like heart attack, stroke, permanent physical decline, pneumonia, hospitalization,” says Cardiologist Dr. Frederico Asch, of the American College of Cardiology.