Will A Flu Shot Protect Me Against Covid
Getting a flu shot wont protect you against COVID-19, but it can reduce your risk of illness, hospitalization and other severe complications from the flu.Both the flu and COVID can make you really sick. If you havent received your COVID-19 vaccine yet, theres no better time than now. Learn how to get a COVID vaccine.
Can I Get The Flu Once Ive Gotten The Vaccine
Even if you do get the vaccine, it isn’t 100 percent effective, and theres no guarantee itll keep you from getting the flu. Thats because the virus is extraordinarily promiscuous, according to Dr. Poland. Its constantly mutating and changing, meaning that the vaccine you get could be protecting you from four different strains of the flu but if you run across a fifth strain, you could still get sick.
For example, In 2000, we had exactly the right combination of flu strains in the vaccine, Dr. Poland says. “Then, out of nowhere, in November, there was a new strain, and people had no protection.
Still, some protection is better than none at all. With so many different types of influenza virus out there, its best to be protected against as many as possible.
Will The Flu Shot Make You Sick
The idea that youll get the flu from the flu shot is one of the biggest myths about the vaccine, Vyas says, and its just not true. The flu vaccine contains an inactive virus, so it is not infectious and would not cause you to become sick with the flu, she explains.
However, some people may experience mild flu-like symptoms, like low-grade fever, headache or muscle aches, after getting the shot, she says. Others may feel soreness, tenderness or redness around the injection site. Most side effects are mild.
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Why We Need New Flu Vaccines Every Year
There are several reasons a new flu vaccine must be made each year.
Flu viruses can change from year to year, so the vaccine is updated to protect against new virus strains that are expected to circulate in the U.S. The vaccine needs to include influenza virus strains that most closely match those in circulation for the influenza season. In addition, the protection provided by the flu vaccine a person received in the previous year will diminish over time and may be too low to prevent influenza disease into next years flu season.
If I Get The Flu Shot Can I Still Get The Flu
Several strains of flu go around, and the flu shot covers the ones youre most likely to get. But its possible to catch a strain that isnt covered by the vaccine. Still, getting the vaccine reduces your chances of getting the flu. And the vaccine can also reduce how severe the flu is if you do get it.
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Quadrivalent Vaccines For Seasonal Flu
A quadrivalent flu vaccine administered by nasal mist was approved by the FDA in March 2012. Fluarix Quadrivalent was approved by the FDA in December 2012.
In 2014, the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization published a review of quadrivalent influenza vaccines.
Starting with the 2018-2019 influenza season most of the regular-dose egg-based flu shots and all the recombinant and cell-grown flu vaccines in the United States are quadrivalent. In the 2019â2020 influenza season all regular-dose flu shots and all recombinant influenza vaccine in the United States are quadrivalent.
In November 2019, the FDA approved Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent for use in the United States starting with the 2020-2021 influenza season.
In February 2020, the FDA approved Fluad Quadrivalent for use in the United States. In July 2020, the FDA approved both Fluad and Fluad Quadrivalent for use in the United States for the 2020â2021 influenza season.
Special Consideration Regarding Egg Allergy
People with egg allergies can receive any licensed, recommended age-appropriate influenza vaccine that is otherwise appropriate. People who have a history of severe egg allergy should be vaccinated in a medical setting, supervised by a health care provider who is able to recognize and manage severe allergic reactions. Two completely egg-free flu vaccine options are available: quadrivalent recombinant vaccine and quadrivalent cell-based vaccine.
It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against flu to develop in the body.
Its best to be vaccinated before flu begins spreading in your community. September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated against flu. Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. However, even if you are not able to get vaccinated until November or later, vaccination is still recommended because flu most commonly peaks in February and significant activity can continue into May.
Additional considerations concerning the timing of vaccination for certain groups include:
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Whens The Best Time To Get A Flu Shot In 2021
According to the Centers for Disease Control, getting the flu vaccine before the flu spreads in your community is essential. The best time to get a flu shot is typically in October because itâs a good amount of time for antibodies to develop in the body in preparation for peak flu season. After receiving the vaccine, it takes about two weeks for the antibodies in the shot to develop in your body and protect you from the flu.
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Who Should Not Get The Flu Shot
The flu vaccine is considered safe and effective for most people, but there are certain people who should not receive certain kinds of flu vaccines.
For example, a high-dose inactivated vaccine is only approved for use in those 65 and older. Those older than 2 and younger than 50 are the only groups approved to take the nasal spray vaccine . Your healthcare provider can advise about which vaccine is the safest and most effective for you.
And theres also a small subset of people who should not receive any flu vaccine at all. According to the CDC, these people include:
- Babies younger than 6 months
- People who have a severe allergy to any ingredient in the vaccinefor example, gelatin, antibiotics, or other ingredients.
If you have an egg allergy or youve had Guillain-Barre Syndrome , get medical advice from your doctor before receiving a flu vaccine. Depending on your particular situation, your doctor may decide that receiving the vaccine outweighs any potential risks. You might also need to get the vaccine in a healthcare setting, so you can be closely observed by medical personnel.
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Who Can Get A Moderna Booster Shot Right Now
On Jan. 3, all US adults 18 and older became eligible to receive COVID-19 booster shots if it’s been at least five months since they’ve received a second dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for a booster dose after two months.
Adults are encouraged to get whatever booster dose is available, even if that means mixing and matching vaccine boosters . The CDC’s recommendation of mRNA vaccines — Moderna or Pfizer — also applies to booster shots.
Moderna’s booster shot is free of charge for all adults.
Southern Hemisphere Influenza Season
The composition of virus vaccines for use in the 2018 Southern Hemisphere influenza season recommended by the World Health Organization on September 28, 2017, was:
- an A/Michigan/45/2015 pdm09-like virus
- an A/Singapore/INFIMH-16-0019/2016 -like virus
- a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus
The WHO recommended that quadrivalent vaccines containing two influenza B viruses should contain the above three viruses and a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.
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When To Get Your Flu Shot
The CDC recommends getting your flu shot in early fall, between now and the end of October. That part is normal: The timing helps prepare your immune system before flu activity peaks, usually between December and February.
“Similar to the Covid vaccine, it takes a couple of weeks after you’ve had the vaccine for your immune system to respond,” Rock says. “So, you want to make sure that you have adequate immunity when we start into the flu season.”
Cdc’s Pcr Test Does Not Confuse Covid
The Gateway Pundit article claims the CDC admitted the soon-to-be-retired PCR test “can not differentiate between the flu and COVID virus.”
It claimed flu cases were so low in 2020, then, because the test was counting flu cases as COVID-19. But that’s nonsense. Gateway Pundit was misunderstanding the use of the term differentiate.
In an August news release, the CDC wrote the PCR test was specifically designed only to detect the viral genetic material of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 not influenza, which causes the flu.
“It does not detect influenza or differentiate between influenza and SARS-CoV-2,” the website states.
In other words, it’s not that the test can’t tell the two apart, it’s that the test was designed only to detect COVID-19. The CDC spelled this one by noting someone with the flu would not create a false positive for COVID-19 with this test.
Experts told USA TODAY in July it’s “technically impossible” for the CDC’s PCR test to confuse SARS-CoV-2 and the influenza virus.
PCR tests identify and amplify converted viral RNA until the virus’s genetic makeup can be detected and analyzed.
In this case, since the CDC’s PCR test was made to only identify SARS-Cov-2, it cannot detect or confuse the genetic sequences of another virus such as influenza, according to Dr. Petros Giannikopoulos, medical director of the Innovative Genomics Institutes COVID-19 testing consortium.
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People At High Risk Of Complications From The Flu
- people with health conditions, such as:
- cancer and other immune compromising conditions
- diabetes
- kidney disease
- neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions
- children up to 18 years of age undergoing treatment for long periods with acetylsalicylic acid
Three Shots At Once What About Four
The CDC doesn’t place limits on the number of vaccinations you can get at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine dose. So you can get the flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine on the same day, or you can get a COVID-19 shot, a flu shot and any other vaccine such as measles, pneumonia or shingles during the same visit.
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If you’re due for a shot that’s not time-sensitive the way the COVID-19 and influenza shots are, Mishori says she sometimes recommends that patients space them out, especially if the other vaccine is known for its side effects, like the shingles vaccine is.
“I tell my patients, You don’t want to get the shingles and COVID vaccine at the same time because you’re going to feel really, really miserable, she says. Shingles vaccine side effects may include fatigue, headache, muscle pain and nausea.
However, Mishori says convenience is a big consideration. I’ll ask, How disruptive is it going to be for your life? Can you get time off if you work to come back in? If not, go ahead and get it today.’
Michelle Crouch is a contributing writer who has covered health and personal finance for some of the nation’s top consumer publications. Her work has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Real Simple, Prevention, The Washington Post and The New York Times.
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What If You Miss The Optimal Window For A Flu Shot
Peak flu season doesn’t occur across the United States at the same time, but Dr. Schaffner says data indicates that February is the most common month for the bulk of peak national influenza transmission. This means you have ample time beyond October for your body to respond to a flu shot, even if flu transmission is picking up in your area. And federal experts still push you to get vaccinated against the flu even in the new year.
“If you miss getting your vaccine in the fall, you can still get vaccinated in January or even later,” Dr. Walkensky adds. “As long as flu viruses are circulating in your community, we continue to recommend a flu vaccine as the best way to protect yourself and your family from flu and its potentially serious complications.”
Most crucially, whether you decide to get the flu shot alongside your COVID-19 vaccine or separately, you shouldn’t delay receiving one over the other even if it’s November or beyond. Remember, current guidance from federal health officials suggests that individuals will need to wait for a third COVID-19 vaccine until about 8 months after their second dose.
“Some Americans will not be eligible for their third dose of COVID-19 vaccine until later in the fall or winter, after October,” she says. “In these cases, people should go ahead and get their flu shot, and then schedule their COVID-19 vaccine at the proper time.”
What If Ive Already Been Exposed
If youve already been exposed toor even been sickened bythe flu this season, it still pays to get a flu shot. Thats because there are actually multiple flu strains, with Influenza A and B accounting for most cases of seasonal flu in this country.
So although you may have been exposed to or even gotten sick and recovered from one strain of flu, without a flu shot, your body wont have the antibodies to protect you from other circulating strains. Getting sick from one strain doesnt protect you from getting sick with another one, emphasizes Dr. Blank.
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When Can I Get A Covid
On Monday, the FDA cut the waiting period between the second dose of an mRNA vaccine, like Moderna’s shot, and a booster from six months to five.
The CDC and other health authorities are now urging people to get boosters as soon as they’re eligible, to keep the immune response against omicron, delta and other coronavirus variants of concern as strong as possible. Moderna’s mRNA vaccine booster has been approved for healthy Americans ages 18 and up. The FDA on Monday approved giving a booster of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, Comirnaty, to kids as young as 12 and to those 5 and up with compromised immune systems or certain other health conditions.
Last month, President Joe Biden outlined a plan to contact the 64 million people on Medicare and AARP’s 38 million members about getting a booster. Nationwide pharmacy chains like Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid are also contacting customers who got a vaccine at their stores when it’s time to schedule a booster.
Flu Is Making A Comeback In Us After An Unusual Year Off
The U.S. flu season has arrived on schedule after taking a year off
When is the best time to get the flu shot?
The U.S. flu season has arrived on schedule after taking a year off, with flu hospitalizations rising and two child deaths reported.
Last year’s flu season was the lowest on record, likely because COVID-19 measures school closures, distancing, masks and canceled travel prevented the spread of influenza, or because the coronavirus somehow pushed aside other viruses.
This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season, said Lynnette Brammer, who tracks flu-like illnesses for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The childhood deaths, Brammer said, are unfortunately what we would expect when flu activity picks up. It’s a sad reminder of how severe flu can be.
During last year’s unusually light flu season, one child died. In contrast, 199 children died from flu two years ago, and 144 the year before that.
In the newest data, the most intense flu activity was in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., and the number of states with high flu activity rose from three to seven. In CDC figures released Monday, states with high flu activity are New Mexico, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and North Dakota.
The type of virus circulating this year tends to cause the largest amount of severe disease, especially in the elderly and the very young, Brammer said.
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Can I Get A Booster Dose
A booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can be offered 22 weeks after completion of the primary series.
Latest evidence suggests vaccine effectiveness against infection with COVID-19 is decreasing over time following completion of the primary series. Based on NACI recommendations, in Newfoundland and Labrador, COVID-19 booster doses are available for all individuals ages 18 years and older when at least 22 weeks has passed since completion of their primary series. As an example, if you received your second dose on July 20, 2021, you can book your booster dose on or after December 21, 2021.
If you are aged 18-29 years, Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine is preferred over Moderna Spikevax. If you are 30 years of age and older, you may receive either Moderna Spikevax or Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty as a booster dose.
If you are ages 30 years of age and older, you are encouraged to get the Moderna vaccine as your booster dose by contacting your local pharmacy, physician or nurse practitioner for availability. NACI has recommended that individuals aged 18 to 29 receive Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the booster dose. Due to supply, pharmacies and physicians do not currently have access to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, so individuals aged 18 to 29 years should get their booster dose at a public health clinic.