The four ways to get a flu shot in 2021 may be different this year

In many respects, the beginning of this year’s flu season is very similar to the beginning of last year, with the threat of influenza infection overlapping the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for a “eccentricity” of spike disease caused by the two. Is producing a virus.

A national blockade that kept people away, mixed with annual flu shots, helped dodge the double outburst of infection last year.While the usa is watching Rapid increase in coronavirus infection In winter, The spread of influenza was rarely minor..

Experts warn of threats this year Twindemic Is a real possibility again despite the arrival of Three effective COVID-19 vaccines Tentatively. reason?U.S. continues to work Wave of Delta COVID infection In an era when people’s attitudes towards masking and social distance have become a political issue as well as a public health concern.

In a typical flu year, millions of people in the United States are infected with the flu virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, And tens of thousands have died from influenza-related causes.

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We talked with three flu vaccine experts about what to expect this year.

Learn more about influenza Where you can get your shot In 2021, Side effects of influenza vaccination You may experience, and why epidemiologists suggest taking both COVID-19 vaccine and influenza vaccination..

Reservations may be required to get a flu shot

If you are accustomed to walking to your local pharmacy, hospital, or clinic and getting a flu shot at your convenience, you may need to make an appointment instead this year.

Signing in to your local pharmacy will instruct your customers to book both flu and COVID shots, and Walgreens. Chief Medical Officer, Kevin Bang, COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations are recommended to be scheduled online.

“We are working as hard as we can to make it easier for people to schedule and seamlessly get vaccinated,” Van told CNET on the phone, and you can call too. Added. Walgreens toll-free number to promise.

It is safe to get COVID and flu shots at the same time

COVID pandemic continues to cause Infection, hospitalization, death, Hospitals in the most damaged areas again Limitation of ability to treat patients.. However, influenza vaccination should be as easy to obtain as COVID-19 vaccination.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said: It is safe to get the flu shot and the COVID vaccination in the same place.. (Vaccine maker Moderna COVID-19 / influenza vaccine combinationHowever, that combo is not available this year. )

The effectiveness of the flu vaccine may vary this season

Vaccine makers monitor the current flu strains and predict that they are most likely to become the predominant strains during the next flu season. These pharmaceutical companies then use three, and in some cases four, of the most likely flu strains to produce the flu vaccine (flu vaccination).

NS Vaccine efficacy The effectiveness of infection prevention varies from year to year, ranging from 19% in the 2014-2015 season to 60% in 2010-2011. Last year, influenza vaccination was 39% effective in preventing infections.

And about the last flu season Half of adults and children in the United States According to the CDC, I was vaccinated against the flu. Combined with the steps the United States took to check for the COVID-19 epidemic, Reported influenza cases In the United States, which looks like a typo, it’s incredibly low. During the 2020-2021 flu season, 2,038 flu cases were reported, compared to 38 million reported during the 2019-2020 season.

This year, due to the low flu season last year, vaccine makers have less need to make predictions and have created vaccines containing four potential flu strains. 4-valent influenza vaccine -To increase the chances of covering the dominant stock this year.

“There was enough data to make inferences based on sufficient knowledge.” LJ Tan, Chief Strategy Officer Immunization Behavior AssociationA non-profit organization working to improve vaccination rates told CNET. “Now we are confident that it was done correctly.”

Like the COVID-19 vaccine, influenza vaccination is not 100% effective in preventing infection. But like coronavirus vaccination, the flu vaccine can slow down the severity of the virus if you catch it. NS CDC said Vaccination against the flu can reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor 40-60%..

And you don’t have to worry about the more serious side effects of the four-part flu vaccine. Whether the vaccine is made with three ingredients or four Side effects Must be the same, Peter Chin Hong, Professor of Infectious Disease Health University of California, San Francisco, Told CNET.

The waves of the flu season can change.You still want to get your flu shot

In the United States (and the Northern Hemisphere), the flu season is usually from October to May, according to the experts we spoke with. However, the influenza virus is not very interested in the seasons and is interested in its spread. Therefore, experts warn that the timing of this year can be unpredictable due to changes in our own behavior over the seasonal flu and pandemics of last year’s flu.

However, it does not try to match the timing of influenza vaccination with the timing of influenza vaccination.For preparation, experts recommend you Get the flu vaccine now..

“Influenza is expected during normal times,” said Chin Hong. “But this year can be atypical or long-lasting, so people need to be prepared for it.”

A similar shift in the timing of seasonal viral infections occurred this summer. America When Japan According to Chin Hong, schoolchildren have seen a surge in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. This is because the students were not exposed to the virus in the winter, before the RSV infection usually occurred, and the immunity did not build up, so the virus spread in the summer instead.

More on the vaccine this fall: Pfizer COVID-19 Booster And that Modern vaccine booster..And this is the latest Johnson & Johnson Booster..

The information contained in this article is for educational and informative purposes only and is not intended to provide health or medical advice. Always consult your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider if you have any questions about your medical condition or health goals.