dr. tanya benenson is our chief medical officer here at nbc. tanya, you were telling me before air you have handed out about 1,000 inoculations just to our employees here in new york. you're reporting a lot of first-timers this year. but to that question, is it too late to get the inoculation? >> it's not too late. we still hear the flu is spreading. if the flu is spreading, new people are getting the flu and that could be you if you haven't had it. it's definitely not too late. it takes two weeks to kick in so the earlier the better, still can get one. >> people who hear this efficacy rate of 60-some odd percent, is it still worth it? >> it's still 62%. which is better than zero percent. if you get the flu shot, even if you got some form of the flu that wasn't covered by the flu shot, you could have a milder flu if you don't get the flu shot. and that's important. because if the real flu knocks you out, it's not a subtle thing. >> this is not the last time we'll be asking of your advice, dr. tanya benenson, chief medical officer here at nbc, t

dr. tanya benenson. doc, i noticed today the numbers showing pneumonia also up. why is that? >> well, pneumonia is the most common complication from the flu. but we are seeing higher numbers of pneumonia than we would expect. and that's in the high risk people. so you have people with chronic illnesses, weak immune systems. the very young, under 2. over 65 and pregnant women. and it's not surprising, this is a group we target to really get the flu shot to help prevent these complications. >> i know you're busy with inoculations but you also track this so closely because you have so many employees to worry about. where do you think we are in terms of the 50 yard line, the halfway mark in illness? >> i don't think there's any way to predict the flu. you could get a peak now and then in march we could get another one. it's completely unpredictable, and you have to stay vigilant. >> i was fearing you were going to tell us that as we head into the weekend of germs and exposures. dr. tanya benenson, thank you as always for being here with us. >>> lance armstrong finally came clean

dr. tanya benenson is our chief medical officer here at nbc. doctor, thank you very much for coming in. i know you handed out 300 inoculations today alone. let me ask how this strikes people differently. let's say a 20-year-old young, vigorous, healthy person versus a 65-year-old who may not be. >> well, people respond differently to the flu shots and have different immune symptoms. so a 20-year-old will actually have a more effective response from the flu shot than someone who is 65. now, as far as getting sick, it's really very individual. but a 20-year-old will probably recover more quickly than a 65 year-old. >> and they say when this flu hits, you go down like a redwood tree. this hits you very quickly. what do doctors like you use to treat this with? what's your recommendation to people, and especially to caregivers taking care of people with this? >> well, we hear it over and over again. prevention, first of all, is the key. so if you haven't had your flu shot yet, it's not too late. we should still get it. it does take two weeks to kick in and that's important. so sooner the bet