Considerations For Getting A Covid
Its safe for your health care provider to administer a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as other vaccines. If youre 12 years of age or older, you may get the flu shot at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine. You may also get it any time before or after you receive the flu shot.
For children aged 5 to 11, the National Advisory Council on Immunization recommends a 14-day interval between a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines. This is to help better monitor for possible side effects from COVID-19 vaccines. Provinces and territories will decide on an interval for this age group as part of their vaccination programs.
Talk to a health care provider or consult your provincial or territorial public health authority for the latest guidance.
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The Flu Shot Is Effective
The effectiveness of the vaccine varies from season to season. It depends on:
- how well the vaccine matches with the circulating flu viruses
- the health and age of the person getting the flu shot
The viruses circulating in the population can sometimes change during the time it takes to produce a vaccine. When this happens during the flu season, the flu shot may not work as well as expected.
It’s also important to remember that the flu shot protects against several different flu viruses each season. The seasonal flu shot can still provide protection against the remaining 2 or 3 viruses, even when theres:
- a less-than-ideal match
- lower effectiveness against one virus
If you do get the flu, the flu shot may reduce the severity of flu-related complications.
Getting your flu shot is still the most effective way to protect yourself against the flu and flu-related complications.
Who Should Get A Flu Shot
The CDC recommends an annual flu shot for most people 6 months of age and older, including pregnant people. If youve ever had a severe allergic reaction to the flu shot, you have an egg allergy, a history of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, or you are feeling unwell, talk to your provider before you get a flu shot.
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I Normally Get My Flu Vaccine At Work But Now Im Working From Home Where Can I Get It
If you, like many people, typically relied on your workplace to provide flu vaccines pre-pandemic, you should take the time to find out if youll be able to get them there this year. If your office isnt back to in-person work, you may need to make other plans. And if thats the case, you wont have the usual reminders from your office that flu-shot day is coming, so know that youll have to be proactive about making it happen yourself, Dr. Ratner says.
You can absolutely get your flu vaccine at a doctors office, but unlike kids, adults may not have a go-to physician. And if you dont already have a regular health care provider, making an appointment for a flu shot may be a daunting process.
If you prefer, you can instead get your flu vaccine at many drugstores or urgent care centers. You can also check your local health departments website for flu shot locations.
Saving On Pharmacy Vaccinations
Just like at your doctors office, pharmacies that offer vaccinations will file with your insurance.
Many vaccinations wont cost you anything if you have a private insurance plan through your employer or that you purchased on a state marketplace. Under the Affordable Care Act, private plans are required to fully cover the cost of recommended vaccinations for adults and children as preventive medical care.
Unfortunately, Medicare doesnt do as good of a job of covering recommended immunizations. Only flu, pneumonia, and hepatitis B vaccines are fully covered under Medicare Part B. Other vaccinations are treated like prescription drugs and are covered under Medicare Part D or Advantage plans. That means youll be responsible for paying any co-pays and deductibles required by your prescription drug plan.
If youre paying out of pocket, shop around to find the lowest price. When we checked, we found the lowest prices without insurance at Costco. For example, Pneumovax pneumonia vaccine cost $110 at CVS and Target, but just $97 at Costco pharmacies. And the dual Hepatitis A and B vaccine costs $145 at CVS, $150 at Walgreens , and $93 at Costco.
Another option if you are uninsured or paying out of pocket is to check with statewide free health clinics and community health centers, which offer free or low-cost preventive care and low-cost vaccinations. Find a clinic near you.
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How Effective Is The Vaccine
This varies from season to season because the vaccine itself changes each year. If the vaccine and the virus strains are a good match, the vaccine should be between 40 percent and 60 percent effective, says the CDC. If you do get sick even after a vaccine, chances are your illness will be much milder.
The CDC estimates that every year the flu hospitalizes 140,000 to 810,000 people and kills between 12,000 and 61,000. The vaccine may save 6,300 lives annually.
Flu Shots Now Available At Cvs Pharmacy And Minuteclinic Nationwide
43 percent of Americans say they’ll visit a retail pharmacy to get the flu vaccine this season
CVS.com and the CVS Pharmacy app allow families to schedule multiple appointments at once, providing added convenience
WOONSOCKET, R.I. CVS Health® is reminding Americans that it is more important than ever to stay current with vaccinations and other routine health care needs. By getting an annual flu shot, ensuring COVID-19 boosters are up to date, and taking other proactive preventative health measures, individuals and families can help protect themselves against seasonal flu and other illnesses and do their part to help protect the overall health of their community.
Flu shots are now available at all CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations for people of all ages seven days a week.
Flu shots are now available at all CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations across the country with digital and walk-in appointments available for people of all ages, seven days a week, with extended evening and weekend hours. Digital scheduling offers patients flexibility and the ability to schedule multiple patients at once, which makes it easier for families and other groups that want to get vaccinated together.
The CDC recommends that individuals get their flu vaccination early in the fall, before flu season begins, and ideally no later than the end of October. CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic carry multiple flu vaccine options, including the higher dose vaccine which is recommended for seniors.
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How Does The Flu Shot Work
The flu shot is an inactivated flu virus that teaches your immune system to recognize the virus and clear it if you are infected. The flu shot is safe and widely available.
While the flu is common, it can be serious. Getting a flu shot is especially important for groups who are at higher risk for major complications, including:
-
Those who are pregnant
Flu Shots Now Available At Cvs
Calif., Its that time again: the beginning of flu season. Flu shots are now available at CVS Pharmacies. This year, CVS says it will be easier for families to get vaccinated against COVID-19 during the same visit.
Flu shots are available at CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinics across the country, including here in the Bay Area. CVS Pharmacy district leader, Lauren Landeta, talked about how this years shots were developed.
Landeta told KRON4, CDC comes up with those most-likely strains that are going to impact us with flu this season. We have all of those vaccines in stock right now. The monkeypox vaccine is not available.
Right now, CVS does not immunize against monkeypox, Landeta said. In fact, there are so few doses and limited availability of the monkeypox vaccine throughout the United States. As for COVID-19 and flu, if you have not been vaccinated and boosted for COVID we would recommend that you do get vaccinated.
Landeta says according to CDC guidelines, both the flu and COVID-19 vaccinations can happen in the same visit to the pharmacy. Landeta told KRON4 that something new has arrived at CVS. We offer group appointments of up to four people at a time. We have online appointments. We have walk-in capability. Both of our CVS Pharmacy as well as our Minute Clinics are available to provide.
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Where Can I Get A Flu Shot
You can get the vaccine in medical settings like your doctors office, certain workplaces that are still open, and at retailers across the country, including CVS which has nearly 10,000 locations, including 1,100 MinuteClinics. These are walk-in medical clinics located inside certain CVS and Target locations.
Given that flu season has already started, the best time to get a shot is right now. It takes two weeks for the vaccine to fully take effect.
How To Time Your Appointment
Experts emphasize that the most important message to remember is to get vaccinated, whenever that might be, assuming youre not on antibiotics and youre not sick. If you have the luxury of choice, its best to make an appointment ahead of time or ask when is the least busy time for that venue.
Generally speaking, in a doctors office, the first appointment of the day is often best. Without patients ahead of you, the provider is less likely to be running late, which means youre not sitting in the waiting room longer than you have to. If the first appointment is not available, try to find one thats close to it.
New York City pharmacist Elaine Mulhall, PharmD, who provides flu shots at CVS in the Bronx, New York, tells Verywell that on some days there may be more than one nurse practitioner or pharmacist on the premises, and those are the days that youll least likely have to wait.
Some drugstores allow you to make an appointment. At all CVS locations, for instance, you can schedule a time via the CVS Pharmacy app or the pharmacys website, and fill out any paperwork digitally ahead of time, so you can minimize time spent in the waiting area. Walgreens, too, has a location finder for flu shots on its website.
During your appointment, protect yourself from COVID-19 and the flu by:
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Is It Too Late To Get A Flu Shot
If it turns out you dont have the flu, and you havent received your flu shot, then you can get one on the spot. To schedule your flu shot and/or COVID-19 vaccine or booster at a CVS Pharmacy or MinuteClinic nearest you, visit cvs.com or use the CVS Pharmacy App.
Schedule your flu and COVID-19 vaccines today! These vaccines are an important way to protect yourself and your loved ones from serious illness.
Will The Precautions We Take To Prevent The Spread Of Covid
Yes! All the public health tools were currently using to reduce the spread of the coronaviruswearing masks, washing and sanitizing our hands all the time, and social distancingcan also help to keep the flu at bay, Dr. Cherry says. Lets not forget that masks also worked a hundred years ago during the 1918 flu pandemic, he notes.
And, in fact, thats basically what happened last year, Dr. Javaid says. The flu season essentially disappeared, he says, which is a trend that started just before April 3, when the CDC recommended the general public wear masks. Some people started to wear masks before that, but many were taking other measures, too, like washing their hands frequently, avoiding crowds, and being more diligent about isolating when feeling sick. There was also a record number of flu vaccines distributed during the last flu season, the CDC says. All of those measures together likely helped significantly curb flu activity.
But because were still spending more time at home , we may see that people who share living spaces spread the flu to each other more easily, Dr. Ratner says. That underscores just how important it is for everyone in a particular household to keep up those COVID-19 and flu prevention behaviorsfor their health and the health of everyone they live with.
So, can we expect to continue wearing masks seasonally? Its possible, and I certainly hope so, Dr. Javaid says.
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Think You Might Have The Flu Heres What To Do
Feeling achy? Tired? Feverish? Wondering if you have the flu or even something else?
If youre feeling a little off this season, then you may be considering a sick visit to your neighborhood MinuteClinic®. Seeking care for your flu-like symptoms is more important than ever, especially as we get closer to peak flu season, which typically hits the U.S. in February. Unfortunately, this years flu season is once again complicated by the presence of COVID-19. So, if youre feeling a little off, you may be wondering, Do I have the flu?, making it even more important to get checked, tested and treated as soon as you start to feel symptoms.
Groups Who Should Especially Get The Vaccine
The flu shot can protect you against the flu. Because of this, it can reduce your chances of being infected with COVID-19 and the flu at the same time. This can lead to serious complications. You should especially receive the flu vaccine this season if youre:
- at high risk of severe COVID-19 related illness
- capable of spreading the flu to those at high risk of severe illness related to COVID-19
The flu vaccine is especially important for the following groups.
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Kron On Is Streaming News Live Now
The out-of-pocket costs are $49.99 for the standard vaccine and $94.99 for the dairy-free vaccine. That is the same price for the high dose for adults 65 and older. The shot may be free, depending on medical insurance. Give your healthcare provider a call and ask about that before you head to the pharmacy.
Where Can I Go To Get Vaccinations
Vaccines are offered at drugstore chains, including CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens warehouse clubs like Costco and Sams Club and many independent pharmacies.
The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination has 21 national pharmacy partners and independent pharmacy networks to help increase access to the vaccine. A list of the partners can be found on the CDC website.
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Flu Shot Supply And Demand
Manufacturers have boosted flu shot production to meet the high demand for the season.
A record 175 million doses were distributed for the 20192020 season. That number will rise to between 194 million and 198 million doses for the upcoming season, the CDC reported.
Rite Aid raised vaccine doses by 40 percent. Walmart and Walgreens said they expect more demand this autumn, Reuters reported.
Walgreens anticipates demand to rise by 30 to 50 percent. CVS expects to dole out more than double the number of vaccines compared to other seasons, according to USA Today.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 60 percent of U.S. adults plan to get a flu shot in the fall. During the 20182019 flu season,
Getting a flu shot will look a little different this year. Walgreens and CVS will check peoples temperatures and screen them prior to administering the vaccine. They will wear face shields while giving the vaccine.
People wont be vaccinated if they have a fever or other symptoms of illness, Walgreens noted.
Clinic visits may decline this fall because many people are using telemedicine, so health professionals need to be creative about ways for people to get vaccinated, Solomon said.
This can look like drive-through vaccine sites pop-up vaccine fairs in healthcare settings, schools, day cares, places of worship, and workplaces, Solomon said.
My feeling is that there is no wrong door to get a vaccine, and any efforts to make them easily accessible will increase uptake in a community.
Yes But Heres What To Know About Timing All Your Vaccines This Fall
by Michelle Crouch, AARP, September 10, 2021
En español | September and October are big months for flu shots, but this year, it’s also when COVID-19 booster shots could start rolling out. So you may be wondering: Is it OK to get your flu shot and COVID-19 booster at the same time?
Absolutely, health experts say. In fact, many doctors plan to encourage Americans to get both at once.
“It’s two for the price of one, says Ranit Mishori, M.D., a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Get one in each arm. It’s an efficient and effective way to make sure you’re protected.” Mishori notes that the same goes for those who are immunocompromised and might want to time their third dose to their flu shot.
It’s important for older adults to get both shots this year because COVID-19 cases are surging, fueled by the spread of the more contagious delta variant, just as the flu season is set to begin. Both diseases are especially dangerous for those over 65.
Although the flu season was nonexistent last year, experts expect a comeback this year with K-12 students back in school, more people traveling and fewer COVID-19 restrictions in place.
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Is It Safe To Get Vaccinated At A Drug Store
Drug stores are an excellent place to be vaccinated, Schaffner says.
Today, pharmacists are well-trained in vaccines and their indications, as well as safety protocols and inoculation technique, he explains.
In the era of COVID-19, pharmacies are also taking extra safety precautions: People coming in to be vaccinated are required to answer COVID-19 screening questions, wear masks, and maintain physical distancing at immunization sites, while pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and nurse practitioners administering vaccines must wear masks and gloves.