Don't forget your flu shots this year
Along with getting your COVID booster shot if you’re eligible (or getting vaccinated if you haven’t yet), we need to get our flu shots too.
We did that last week with my kiddos followed by our annual post-flu-shot-ice-cream. I have also talked with several friends and neighbors who consistently get their flu shots - and, nearly forgot this year! Anyone else? So, here’s your friendly reminder to schedule that. Here’s why it’s important, when to get it, getting it with the COVID vaccine/booster, etc.
Flu is no-fun and results in a high number of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. I’m showing the chart from 2019-2020 since that was before the pandemic as a reminder of what a “normal” flu season looks like. Typically, hospitals are busy and full during flu season. Add on the COVID-19 burden of hospitalizations due to the Delta variant, and this could be a double whammy. (Yes, hospitalizations for COVID are trending down, thankfully, but still pretty high in several areas).
Remember last year’s flu season being nearly non-existent? There were a record LOW number of flu cases last year - thanks to the tried-and-true public health precautions of masks, distancing, etc.
Will this year be different? We don’t know yet. This year looks very different than last year with LOTS more people out and about, non-masking in schools, etc. There are already RSV cases spiking (RSV was at historic lows last year too) in many areas which could suggest flu is around the corner and indicates the potential for a bad flu season this year.
Can we predict what will happen in the US? Kindof, sortof. Historically, we can look to see what’s happening in the Southern Hemisphere, which has an earlier flu season during the summer. Flu cases so far in those countries have been low. BUT BUT BUT many of these countries, like Australia, have extremely tight border controls during their flu season and strong precautionary measures against COVID. In other words, they don’t look like the US in terms of behavior. So, it’s hard to predict what will happen over the next few months here in the states regarding flu. I’m worried about flu coming back in force this year because of this and the too-low-vaccination rates for the flu in the US (we’ll talk about that below).
Should I get a flu vaccine? Yes! Why? Well, it protects really well against severe disease from the flu that would land you in the hospital. And this year is a quadrivalent - meaning it offers protections against 4 circulating strains of the flu. (Of note, 2 of them are new compared to last year’s vaccine. Scientists figure out what strains need to be in the vaccines based on what is circulating.) If you’re 65+, you can get a high-dose flu vaccine which evokes a stronger immune response. If you do get the flu after vaccination, at least your body has some form of defense mechanism in your immune system already ready to go. AND, because flu vaccine rates in the US have traditionally been fairly low. Yuk. (Last year, we had a record high of flu vaccinations!) But in most years, it hovers at 47%. Pre-pandemic, here’s a chart showing a high proportion of people do not plan to get vaccinated against the flu.
Will you get the flu from the vaccine? Nope. Don’t believe the conspiracy theories about this. You might have slight side effects, like a sore-arm or low-grade fever. But it won’t “give” you the flu.
When should you get it? Now. The CDC recommends by the end of October since it takes 2 weeks for full protection to take effect. You want to get it before the flu season ramps up because of this 2 week window.
Can you get it at the same time as the COVID vaccine or booster? Yes, you can. (Anyone think of Bob the Builder with that phrase? Just me? Oh well). 8 months ago, the CDC recommended not give both vaccines at the same time. But that guidance has changed now that we have more data. Good CDC data has shown that it is safe to get them at the same time and, as always, talk with your doctor about this.
Here’s the current map of flu activity. As you can see, cases are low right now in the states, with the exception of Wyoming. This is a great time to get your flu vaccines!
-FNE