Concern about the Wuhan coronavirus is understandable. It’s new and strange. There is not yet a vaccine to prevent it. And how it is transmitted is not fully understood.

But at this point Americans face a far more serious threat from the seasonal flu that peaks around this time every year. And there is a ready means to greatly improve the chances of dodging that more immediate and acute health threat — a flu shot.

Unfortunately, fewer than half of U.S. adults got a flu shot last season, and only 62 percent of children received the vaccine. And 2018-2019 was a particularly bad flu season in this country, killing about 80,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

So far this year, an estimated 20,000 people have died in the United States of the flu, even though the vaccine appears to be largely effective against the primary strain that is hitting. In Connecticut, the Department of Public Health reports, about 800 people have been hospitalized and there have been 20 deaths.

If you haven’t gotten a flu shot, do so.

As of Monday, China reported 80 deaths tied to Wuhan coronavirus, with about 2,700 cases confirmed worldwide, including some in the United States. The actual numbers are almost certainly higher. Still, they are small compared to the seasonal influenza viruses which, according to the World Health Organization, infect several million people worldwide annually and kill up to 646,000.

Don't get us wrong, the new virus is a health concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring it. But the CDC noted Friday that “the immediate health risk … to the general American public is considered low at this time.”

So far, it appears deaths tied to the Wuhan coronavirus are hitting children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with existing health problems that weaken their immune systems, meaning most healthy adults survive an encounter with the still not fully understood illness.

Things could change. This coronavirus could prove to be more easily spread than past configurations. So far, however, the CDC and World Health Organization have not declared it an emergency.

Diligence is in order. Panic is not. And get a flu shot.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.