Is There More Than One Type Of Flu Shot Available
Yes. There are different flu vaccine manufacturers and multiple influenza vaccine products licensed and recommended for use in the United States.
CDC recommends use of any licensed, age-appropriate influenza vaccine during the 2021-2022 influenza season. Available influenza vaccines include quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine , recombinant influenza vaccine , or live attenuated influenza vaccine . No preference is expressed for any influenza vaccine over another.
Quadrivalent flu vaccines include:
Flu Shot: Your Best Bet For Avoiding Influenza
According to the CDC, the flu is a potentially deadly illness that can result in hospitalization and death. It goes on to say that millions of individuals in the United States acquire the flu each year, and tens of thousands of people die as a result of flu-related illnesses. Ear infections, bacterial pneumonia, and chronic health issues including diabetes and heart failure are all complications of the flu.
The flu vaccine may be your best hope for avoiding influenza, since it has been found to minimize the risk of flu-related illness, hospitalizations, and fatalities in children, according to the CDC. The CDC says that it may even lower the severity of disease in those who get breakthrough infections after being vaccinated.
Seasonal Flu And Covid
COVID-19 and the flu will likely both be spreading this season, according to the CDC. Protecting yourself from the flu with a flu shot helps reduce your risk of serious illness and hospitalization.3 Thats important this year because there continue to be concerns about hospital capacity with the ongoing spread of COVID-19. It may be hard to know if you have COVID-19 or if it may be the flu or a cold, since symptoms are similar. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine will give you the best protection. You can even get them at the same time.3 Ask your doctor if you have more questions about how these vaccines can help protect you.
- Those with specific health conditions
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Uk Adds New Flu Shot Times Locations
LEXINGTON, Ky. Protect. Respect. Get your flu shot.
The University of Kentucky announced its plan to vaccinate all students on Oct. 8. The university set a deadline for students to receive their vaccination by Nov. 1. With the deadline looming, UK is offering new locations and times on campus for students to receive their flu shot.
- Gatton Student Center, room 330 A & B
- Mon., Oct. 26 Thurs., Oct. 29: 9 a.m. 7 p.m.
- Fri., Oct. 30: 9 a.m. 4 p.m.
There are a few other important things to remember about getting your flu shot this year:
- All on-campus flu shot locations allow walkup vaccinations, other than UHS. Students can use their MyUK portal to make an appointment at UHS.
- Students do not need to bring or show their insurance card in order to receive their free flu shot.
- Whether students receive their flu shot from one of the on-campus options, or at an off-campus pharmacy, they must upload their proof of vaccination here.
- Students must wear a mask and practice physical distancing at all of the flu shot locations.
For more other information about receiving a flu shot this year, visit go.uky.edu/flushot.
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What Protection Does A Flu Vaccine Provide If I Do Get Sick With Flu
Some people who get vaccinated may still get sick. However, flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick:
- A 2017 study showed that flu vaccination reduced deaths, intensive care unit admissions, ICU length of stay, and overall duration of hospitalization among hospitalized flu patients.
- Another study in 2018 showed that a vaccinated adult who was hospitalized with flu was 59% less likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit than someone who had not been vaccinated. Among adults in the ICU with flu, vaccinated patients on average spent 4 fewer days in the hospital than those who were not vaccinated.
In addition, its important to remember that flu vaccine protects against three or four different viruses and multiple viruses usually circulate during any one season. For these reasons, CDC continues to recommend flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older even if vaccine effectiveness against one or more viruses is reduced.
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How Is The Flu Vaccine Given
- Kids younger than 9 years old who get the flu vaccine for the first time or who’ve had only 1 dose of the vaccine before July 2021 will get 2 doses at least 1 month apart.
- Kids younger than 9 who got at least 2 doses of flu vaccine before July 2021 will only need 1 dose.
- Kids older than 9 need only 1 dose of the vaccine.
Talk to your doctor about how many doses your child needs.
Uk Selected As Site For Covid
Building on its success with previous COVID-19 vaccine studies, the University of Kentucky has been selected as a site for a trial to assess dose levels of a Johnson & Johnson booster shot.
Currently authorized vaccines remain overwhelmingly effective against severe illness from COVID-19, but the virus evolution requires us to understand if and when boosters will be needed, and if we can mix vaccine types in the process. By including people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and people who received Pfizer, this Phase 2 study will begin to provide answers about the best vaccine regimens for keeping us safe. Approximately 660 participants will be enrolled at sites across the country.
Adults who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of February 2021 and participants in UKs previous study of Johnson & Johnsons single-dose vaccine may be eligible to join in this booster study.
Participants will be randomized to receive one of three booster regimens, and their immune response will be monitored through a few blood samples over the course of the study. Participants will also be asked to keep notes in a smartphone app. The study team closely monitors the health of volunteers, and compensation is provided.
At this time, the COVID-19 vaccines are working well, but its critically important to study boosters so that we can stay ahead of the coronavirus and its variants,” Greenberg said.
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Protect Yourself And Your Loved Ones
Flu shots are no longer available for the 2021-22 flu season.
For COVID vaccination information and to sign up for an appointment, visit ukvaccine.org.
UK Retail Pharmacies also offer a variety of vaccinations, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, pneumonia, human papillomavirus , tetanus and whooping cough shots, and we offer the new shingles vaccine . For any other vaccination, call the location of your choice directly at the number below to arrange a time. Although walk-ins will be accommodated when possible, we cannot guarantee availability.
Visit the UK Retail Pharmacies homepage for location details, hours and additional information.
For questions about our vaccine clinics or to request an appointment, call .
Find A Flu Shot Location Near You
If you have a UnitedHealthcare health plan, you can get a flu shot at more than 50,000 locations.
Enter your ZIP code and select a pharmacy in your area, then select Find my flu shot to see results within a 20-mile radius from the center of your ZIP code.
Please note: If you’re using a screen reader, please select Participating pharmacies, then select a pharmacy to find a location near you.
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Do You Need The Flu Shot If You’ve Received The Covid
Video transcript
If youve already gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, it is also recommended and important that you get the flu shot this year. One covers you against the influenza virus, and the other covers you for the COVID-19 viruses. Theyre two distinct vaccines.
Every year, the flu vaccine is different.
This year, we suspect that the cases for the flu may increase.
Once you get the flu shot, it takes two weeks to become effective in your system. So the earlier you get it, the less exposure you have to others who are sick within your community.
What Kind Of Protection Does The Flu Vaccine Offer
According to the CDC, the flu vaccine can reduce your chance of getting the flu by 40 percent to 60 percent. It goes on to say that there are two primary elements that influence whether or not the flu vaccine will protect you from getting sick with the flu. These considerations include the person’s characteristics, such as age and health, as well as how well the current season’s vaccines “match” the flu viruses circulating in the population.
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Uk Requiring Students To Get A Flu Shot By End Of Month
LEXINGTON, Ky. – At the beginning of the semester, University of Kentucky students were required to get a COVID-19 test if they were going to be on campus.
This week, we learned those students will also be required to get a flu shot by the end of the month.
University leaders tell us the decision is all about keeping resources available during the pandemic.
The reason it becomes critical this year is because with COVID-19 overlaying flu season, its not gonna go away before flu season kicks in, said Dr. Craig Martin, UK College of Pharmacy. And that really puts a strain on every bit of our system.
The worry is if you had a flu outbreak, on top of the pandemic, youd have a lot of people exhibiting similar symptoms.
It stresses quarantining procedures. Stresses contact tracing. It stresses student health and appointments and when students can get in, Dr. Martin said.
Students will be required to get that vaccination, or show proof of one by November 1.
The university will have clinics on campus.
There is also some hope that all of the precautions for COVID-19, will help with the flu.
In the late spring, we had a decrease and transmission of other respiratory viruses in addition to COVID-19 because people were not breathing the same air. Thats what it comes down to. Is keeping your distance and wearing a mask, Dr. Martin said.
Dr. Martin says for people off campus, its never too late to get a vaccine.
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Who Should Get The Flu Vaccine
Every season, the CDC advises that everyone six months of age and older get the flu vaccine. It does, however, state that some persons may require different immunizations than others. According to CDC recommendations, pregnant women should not take the nasal spray flu vaccine due to an increased risk of complications.
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Uk Will Require Flu Shot For Every Student This Season
LEXINGTON, Ky. For the first time, the University of Kentucky will require all graduate and undergraduate students to vaccinate themselves against the flu this season.
“The flu shot is always important,” said Professor and Associate Dean Craig Martin of the College of Pharmacy. “If you thought it was important last year, or weren’t sure if it was important last year, it is crucial this year.”
“It would put a strain on our quarantine process. It would stress our ability to contact trace,” Martin said, before referencing the impact it would have on the university’s Albert Chandler hospital.
“…especially being a campus that has a large medical center attached to it, we have a responsibility to our patients both on-campus and off-campus, to maintain as much capacity as possible,” he added.
Many of the students we spoke with don’t seem to have a big problem with the school’s mandate, but it could be challenging to get every young, free-thinking adult on board with this requirement.
“I don’t remember the last time any university came out saying, ‘hey, we’re going to demand you to get this flu shot when it’s a voluntary vaccine,'” said senior Austin Vaughn, before saying he’d have no problem getting the vaccine.
For the remainder of this school year, it’ll be their admission price into the lecture halls, and every other building on the campus.
Why Do I Need To Get Vaccinated Every Year
Everyone six months and older should get a flu shot every year, according to the CDC. Because flu viruses are continually evolving, the flu vaccination must be updated every year to ensure protection against the most recent strain. Furthermore, the flu vaccine’s immunity diminishes over time, so a yearly dose can offer you with the best protection, according to the CDC.
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What Is A Flu Vaccine
Influenza vaccines are vaccines that protect against the four influenza viruses that research indicates most common during the upcoming season. Most flu vaccines are flu shots given with a needle, usually in the arm, but there also is also a nasal spray flu vaccine.
Uk Students Required To Get Flu Shot Before Nov 1
LEXINGTON, Ky. University of Kentucky students who live on or come to campus will be required to receive a flu vaccination by Nov. 1.
The policy announced Friday is part of the universitys ongoing response to COVID-19 and is a recommendation from UKs START team of clinicians, researchers and public health professionals.
Students who do not have prescription coverage to cover the cost of the flu vaccination will receive the shot for free. Students who already have received a flu vaccination will simply need to upload a copy of their proof of vaccination.
ABC 36s Monica Harkins talked to students on campus about what they think.
I personally dont think its a bad idea. Ive been getting a flu shot every year since I was born, Austin Vogel, UK student, said.
Some students think is just another part of what will be remembered simply as 2020.
Its a little weird having mandatory flu shots, but then again it is weird having mandatory covid tests, like this is all new to us, Erin Dailey, UK student said.
UKs Frank Romanelli, Pharm.D., with the College of Pharmacy says its a proactive step to try to protect everyone.
Its one less thing that we need to be dealing with a flu outbreak in the middle of a pandemic on a campus of 30,000 plus students, he said.
He says it will also help with confusion. Flu symptoms like fever, fatigue are similar to COVID-19.
But not everyone thinks it should be mandatory.
Here are the details of UKs flu shot program:
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When Is The Flu Vaccine Available
Before the flu begins to spread in communities, the CDC recommends taking the seasonal flu vaccine in September or October. The CDC recommends receiving a flu vaccine even if you don’t get it before the end of October, because the flu season typically peaks in February and lasts well into May.
According to the CDC, the seasonal flu vaccine normally becomes available in July or August, which is when youngsters should get the vaccine. Adults are urged not to get vaccinated this early since the flu vaccine’s effectiveness diminishes with time.
The University Of Kentucky Is Requiring All Students To Get A Flu Shot By Nov 1
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The University of Kentucky is requiring all students to get a flu shot by Nov. 1.
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LEXINGTON, Ky.
For the first time, the University of Kentucky will require all students to receive a flu shot.
Campus faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to receive a flu vaccination as well, university officials said in a statement online.
The announcement was made Thursday as part of the university’s ongoing response to COVID-19 and is a recommendation from UK’s START team of clinicians, researchers and public health.
Students who do not have prescription coverage to cover the cost of the flu vaccination will receive the shot for free. Students who already have received a flu vaccination will need to provide a copy of their proof of vaccination.
Students have until Nov. 1 to get the shot.
Students can receive a flu vaccine on campus at the Gatton Student Center, The 90, and the President’s Pavilion at Kroger Field.
To see a full calendar of locations and times for student flu vaccination clinics and to make an appointment, visit go.uky.edu/flushot.
Students who wish to get a flu shot at any Kroger pharmacy can here and redeem it at a location of their choice. Appointments should be made in advance by going here.
Students who have already received their flu shot may upload proof of vaccination at hcselfreport.uky.edu.
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Why Is The Flu Vaccine Recommended
While the flu vaccine isn’t 100% effective, it still greatly lowers a person’s chances of catching the flu, which can be very serious. It also can make symptoms less severe if someone who got the vaccine does still get the flu.
If you got the flu vaccine last year, it can’t provide enough protection this year, because flu viruses change. That’s why the vaccine is updated each year to include the most current types of the virus.
Sometimes the same virus types are included in the vaccine from one year to the next. Even then, it’s still important to get the yearly flu vaccine because the body’s immunity against the influenza virus declines over time.
Getting the flu vaccine not only protects you from the flu. It also helps protect the people and community around you. The flu vaccine makes someone less likely to get the flu, and therefore less likely to spread the flu. Getting the flu vaccine is a great way to protect people who are at risk from flu, such as the elderly, babies, and people with health conditions such as asthma. Every year thousands of people die from influenza, and getting the flu vaccine is one way to help prevent that.