When To Get Flu Shot 2020-2021

Knowledge Attitudes And Beliefs

Most adults reported that they knew enough about vaccines to make a decision about getting vaccinated and considered vaccines to be important for their health .

While most of the respondents believed that the flu shot is safe , there were still 40% of respondents who believed they might get the flu from the flu vaccinewhich is not true for any flu shot in Canada. Moreover, 34% felt that the flu vaccine does not protect them against getting the flu.

About three quarters of respondents agreed that the opinion of their family doctor, general practitioner or nurse practitioner is an important part of their decision to get the flu shot.

The Major Caveat: Covid

COVID-19 Vaccine effectiveness and availability remains in question. There is competing information related to whether or not a vaccine will be ready and safe by the end of 2020. Currently, the main vaccine candidates have completed Phase 1 trials and have entered into P2/P3 phase, which has significant challenges and requirements.

If P2/P3 is not completed in the next three months, data will not be available for clinicians to make an informed and safe decision to recommend the vaccine before yearâs end. While clinicians may not recommend the vaccine, political factors may attempt push usage. This may increase distrust in vaccines, lowering uptake of both flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

If this above is true, Scenario 1 will be most likely conversely, if a vaccine is safe, ready, and recommended by average physicians, Scenario 3 will be more likely.â

To make things easy for you, we have a Trusted Health Immunization Record Form you can download and use for your 2021 health records. Just print it out and get it signed when you get your next shot.

Dr. Dan Weberg is the Head of Clinical Innovation at Trusted Health. He is a nurse leader and expert in human-centered patient design and simulation and healthcare innovation with extensive clinical experience in the emergency department, acute in-patient hospital settings, and academia over the past 13 years.

Getting A Flu Vaccine During The Covid

Yes. Getting a flu vaccine is an essential part of protecting your health and your familys health every year. Take recommended precautions to protect yourself from COVID-19 while getting your flu vaccine.

Yes. Wearing a mask and physical distancing can help protect you and others from respiratory viruses, like flu and the virus that causes COVID-19. However, the best way to reduce your risk of flu illness and its potentially serious complications is for everyone 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine each year. By getting a flu vaccine, you may also be protecting people around you who are more vulnerable to serious flu complications.

Yes, you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine at the same time.

Even though both vaccines can be given at the same visit, people should follow the recommended schedule for either vaccine: If you havent gotten your currently recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine, get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can, and ideally get a flu vaccine by the end of October.

While limited data exist on giving COVID-19 vaccines with other vaccines, including flu vaccines, experience with giving other vaccines together has shown the way our bodies develop protection and possible side effects are generally similar whether vaccines are given alone or with other vaccines.

If you have concerns about getting both vaccines at the same time, you should speak with a health care provider.

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How To Get Vaccinated Against Influenza

Influenza vaccines are given as an injection, usually in the upper arm. It is important to get the right vaccine for your age. Your immunisation provider can tell you which vaccine they will use for you or your child’s influenza immunisation.

Influenza vaccines available under the NIP for the 2022 season include:

• VaxiGrip Tetra

The Therapeutic Goods Administration website provides product information and consumer medicine information for each vaccine available.

What You Need To Know About The 2021

While no one knows for sure just how bad the upcoming flu season will be, heres some flu information we know so far:

• The 2020-2021 flu season wasunusually mildcompared to whats been seen in past years. This could be due to multiple factors, including higher flu vaccination rates during 2020 and the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on social distancing and hand washing. Experts are not sure if this will be the case again for the 2021-2022 flu season.

• Flu transmission rates in other countries are lower than usual so far this year. The World Health Organization meets twice a year in February and September to review flu activity around the world and recommend which strains to include in the flu vaccine. Flu transmission in the Southern Hemisphere countries like Australia can help predict what the U.S. flu season might be like. Australia had a record low number of cases of the flu during 2021. Hopefully, that means we will too.

• Even though the flu vaccine doesnt protect against all strains of the flu, its still recommended for everyone over the age of 6 months. The flu vaccine is typically about 40% to 60% effective, and its hard to predict if the current flu vaccines will be a good match for the strains going around. But its still one of the best ways to help prevent getting sick with the flu.

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Vaccine Uptake In Canadian Adults: Highlights From The 2020

The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Coverage Survey collects information every year about the uptake of the flu shot in Canada. Each flu season, it estimates how many people get vaccinated as well as knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the flu shot. Every two years, the survey also collects information about other recommended vaccines for adults: pertussis , tetanus, pneumococcal and shingles. The 2020-2021 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Coverage Survey took place between January 6 and February 11, 2021. With the current pandemic context, questions about the COVID-19 vaccine were also added to the survey this year.

Testing And Treatment Of Respiratory Illness When Sars

While waiting on results of testing, non-hospitalized persons with acute respiratory symptoms should self-isolate at home. Even if people test negative for both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses, they should self-isolate because of the potential for false negative testing results depending upon what kind of test was done and the level of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus transmission in the community. Persons not hospitalized with suspected or confirmed influenza who are at increased risk for complications from influenza should receive antiviral treatment for influenza as soon as possible, regardless of illness duration.

For hospitalized patients, empiric oseltamivir treatment should be started as soon as possible for patients with suspected influenza without waiting for influenza testing results. Get more information on testing and treatment when SARS-CoV-2 and flu viruses are co-circulating.

CDC has developed clinical algorithms that can help guide decisions for influenza testing and treatment when SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses are co-circulating.

FDA-approved antiviral medications for treatment of influenza have no activity against SARS-CoV-2 viruses, nor do they interact with medications used for treatment of COVID-19 patients. If a patient who is at higher risk for influenza complications is diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus co-infection, they should receive antiviral treatment for influenza.

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Flu Vaccines During The Covid

Did we need to get a flu vaccine earlier during the 2020-2021 flu season ?

There was no change in CDCs recommendation on timing of vaccination last flu season. Getting vaccinated in July or August is too early, especially for older people, because of the likelihood of reduced protection against flu later in the flu season. September and October are good times to get vaccinated. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating, vaccination should continue, even in January or later.

More information for vaccination timing for the 2020-2021 flu season

Were there changes in how and where flu vaccines were given in fall and winter or 2020-2021?

Prior to the 2020-2021 flu season, CDC worked with health care providers and state and local health departments to develop contingency plans on how to vaccinate people against flu without increasing their risk of exposure to respiratory disease, like the virus that causes COVID-19. This included releasing Interim Guidance for Immunization Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Preliminary coverage data from September 2020 suggest there were some changes in where people got vaccinated early in 2020-2021. For example, the proportion of people reporting getting a flu vaccination at a store was significantly higher than the equivalent proportion for the 201920 season , and the proportion reporting vaccination at a doctors office was significantly lower than 201920 .

This recommendation has since been .

Flu Vaccination In 2021

Vaccination against influenza remains important this year. Flu is a highly contagious viral infection that can cause widespread illness and deaths every year. Vaccination is our best defence against flu viruses.

• Listen

Vaccination against influenza remains important this year. Flu is a highly contagious viral infection that can cause widespread illness and deaths every year. Vaccination is our best defence against flu viruses.

Behaviours such as increased hand washing and social distancing helped to stop the spread of flu viruses in the community last year. Relaxing social distancing restrictions this year may allow flu viruses to recirculate, even if they were hardly seen in 2020.

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Reasons To Refuse The Vaccine

• The most common reason across all adults for not getting their flu shot was they were healthy and/or never had the flu .
• Among adults aged 1864 years with chronic medical conditions, not getting around to the vaccine was the most commonly provided response for not getting the flu shot .
• Among seniors, concerns about vaccine safety was the most common reason for not receiving the flu shot .

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Coverage Survey Results 2019

The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Coverage Survey is a yearly telephone survey that collects information about the flu shot in Canada. Each flu season, the survey estimates how many people get the flu shot as well as knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the flu shot. This year, the participants were also questioned about the sources of information regarding the flu shot.

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Influenza Immunisation Program Advice 2022

View a summary of the Queensland government’s 2022 influenza immunisation program advice which provides important information specific to Queensland including:

• which vaccines to give for specific age groups
• information regarding people with medical conditions who are eligible for funded influenza vaccine
• vaccine ordering and supply details.

The Best Flu Vaccine If Youre Scared Of Needles

While most people use the terms flu vaccine and flu shot interchangeably, not all flu vaccines use a needle to deliver the ingredients.

FluMist Quadrivalent is a nasal spray vaccine. However, its not the right choice for some people. This vaccine is only FDA-approved for people between ages 2 and 49. FluMist Quadrivalent is also a live attenuated vaccine, meaning it contains weakened versions of the flu viruses instead of inactivated viruses. People who are pregnant and those with certain health problems such as a weakened immune system shouldnt receive it.

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What Vaccines Are Available For The 2021

There are nine vaccines that have been approved and released by the FDA for the 2021-2022 flu season. This year, all FDA-approved flu vaccines are quadrivalent meaning they protect against four different strains of influenza . Heres a rundown of the available flu vaccines for the year.

Its important to note that pharmacies and healthcare providers may only carry a few brands of flu vaccine not all nine that are FDA-approved. If you are interested in or know you need a certain flu vaccine, its best to call ahead and see if your preferred vaccine is available.

When Should I Get My Flu Shot

Dr. Susan Rehm, vice chair at the Cleveland Clinics Department of Infectious Diseases, said patients should get the influenza vaccine as soon as possible.

CVS stores have the flu vaccine in stock, and it became available Monday at Walgreens.

I plan to get my flu shot as soon as the vaccines are available, Rehm said. My understanding is that they should be available in late August, early September nationwide.

Other doctors recommend that patients get their flu shot in late September or early October, so protection can last throughout the flu season, which typically ends around March or April. The vaccine lasts about six months.

The CDC recommends people get a flu vaccine no later than the end of October because it takes a few weeks for the vaccine to become fully protective but encourages people to get vaccinated later rather than not at all.

Healthy people can get their flu vaccine as soon as its available, but experts recommend older people and those who are immunocompromised wait until mid-fall to get their shots, so they last throughout the flu season.

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Coronavirus Plus Flu Could Form Perfect Storm Of Disease Next Winter Expert Says

“Even though its not nearly as deadly as COVID-19, the flu still can be quite dangerous, and we depend on the same resources to keep flu patients alive like ventilators and oxygen as we depend on to keep really sick COVID patients alive,” Lessler said. “If you have a really big flu wave you could potentially see an increase in deaths because people are competing for resources, if you let things get to that point.”

Ko suggested that too many cases of the flu could also lead to another shortage of personal protective equipment , in addition to causing problems with testing. Lessler also said that someone who catches and survives one virus might be more susceptible to another.

“We know that if you have a big infection, it leaves you weaker, particularly among older people, who are at the most risk of dying from COVID,” Lessler said. “We worry that someone recovering from one respiratory infection and getting a second, which might mean a more severe outcome.”

Vaccines For Adults 65+

Influenza can make older adults very sick. Two vaccines are approved just for seniors to give better protection against the flu. A high-dose flu vaccine is the preferred choice for adults 65 years and older. It protects against four strains of the influenza virus. If this vaccine is not available, then Fluad® is recommended. Both of these vaccines may cause more soreness, redness and swelling where the vaccine was given, lasting a few days longer than the standard vaccine. If neither of these vaccines are available, do not delay in getting vaccinated. All flu vaccines provide good protection.

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How Does The Flu Shot Work Exactly

The influenza vaccine takes two weeks to incubate and build virus-fighting antibodies in your body, says Keri Peterson, MD, an internal medicine doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and medical advisor to Womens Health. That means youre not protected from the virus for a full 14 days after you get the shot. So your flu-infected neighbors could already have passed the flu on and your vaccine wont do a thing to stop you from getting sick.

Still, that doesn’t mean you should skip the vaccine altogether if you feel like you’re getting your jab late in the season. It could still protect you, and will likely last up to six months.

Some people think if they dont get it by Thanksgiving, its too late, says Dr. Poland. But thats far from the truth. Dr. Peterson is still administering flu shots in her office well into March. And as long as your pharmacy or doctors supply hasnt run out, you can still get a flu shot until May.

The CDC does note that getting a flu shot far in advance of the season, around July or August, is too early, especially for older folks. So you should ideally go in sometime in September or October, and then you can feel confident that you’ll be protected for more of the season.

Still, you shouldn’t think you’ve missed the window. The majority of flu outbreaks in the U.S. happen between February and March, Dr. Poland says, so getting a vaccine after the holidays isn’t pointless by any means.

Purpose Of This Survey

Results from the survey provide information about how well Canadian adults are protected against vaccine preventable diseases as well as what they know and think about vaccines.

Survey results are used to:

• measure progress towards achieving Canada’s national vaccination coverage goals
• determine reasons for non-vaccination
• identify potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on seasonal influenza vaccine uptake
• assess how well vaccination programs are working, and how they could be improved
• report Canada’s vaccination coverage to the World Health Organization

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Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine

Children 2-17 years of age who are eligible for an influenza vaccine can receive FluMist® Quadrivalent by nasal spray.

The nasal spray vaccine will be available at health units, some pharmacies and some doctors’ offices. Pharmacists will be able to give the nasal spray flu vaccine to children 2 years of age and older. The Influenza Clinic locator will list if a nasal spray vaccine is available at that clinic. Call ahead to confirm. The nasal spray vaccine is not approved for use in those younger than 2 years of age and they should receive their influenza vaccine by needle.