What’s the best plan for the 2022 flu season? Get your flu shot early

The fall 2022 flu season can hit early this year, so it’s a good idea to get your flu vaccine as soon as possible.

To prepare for the upcoming fall and winter flu seasons, U.S. health professionals are closely watching how the flu season unfolded in the Southern Hemisphere over the recent fall and winter (around April to August of this year). .

Australian data also show that the northern hemisphere may have a rough and early flu season.

Dr. Michel Baron is one of Colorado’s Top Infectious Disease ExpertShe urges people to get the flu vaccine relatively early this fall.

“Every year we try to guess when the flu hits and when to get the vaccine. “Based on what we’re seeing in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s not the best plan for this year,” said Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention and control at UCHealth.

Here is her advice: Get your flu shot as soon as it becomes available. ”

Barron reminds people that it takes about two weeks after getting the flu shot for the vaccine to be fully effective.

Getting your flu shot relatively early in the year (September or October) is the best way to prepare for the raging early days of the flu season.

“The flu vaccine will protect you for four to six months. It’s okay if the timing is a little off. The sooner this year, the better. If you get vaccinated too late, you’ll only increase your risk of getting the flu.” said Mr Barron. Professor and University of Colorado School of Medicine Above Anschutz Medical Campus.

I consulted Mr. Barron about flu season in Australia and what happens in the fall and winter in the United States. She also answered frequently asked questions about the flu and how COVID-19 might affect flu season.

When will we know if 2022 and 2023 will be a bad flu season?

“We don’t really know until it hits us,” Barron said. When we get smarter, we might be able to do that, but we won’t know exactly what the flu will be until it starts spreading.”

Why are you worried that the 2022 flu season will be early and bad?

It’s very difficult to predict exactly how this year’s flu season will unfold, Barron said. It’s about seeing what happened.

And in the Southern Hemisphere, influenza hit early this year. In Australia, flu cases typically peak between July and September. This year he started rising in April, May and he peaked at a very high level in June. (See chart below from Australian Health Authorities.)

Australian health officials have confirmed a sharper increase in flu cases this year than in previous years.

“If you look at the year of COVID-19, flu cases rarely hit the radar. But if you look at the slope of the Australian curve and how quickly people get sick, it spread quickly. said Baron.

“Their peak was early, which is comparable to November and December (usually in the US, cases peak in January and February). That’s what worries me,” he said. Baron said.

How has COVID-19 affected the recent flu season?

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically reduced flu cases worldwide. Stay-at-home measures and interventions such as masks and social distancing have reduced COVID-19 cases and also prevented the spread of influenza. As such, both 2020 and 2021 will see far fewer flu cases than in a normal year. Now that people are resuming normal activities and few are taking precautions such as wearing masks on a regular basis, the flu can spread more easily.

Plus, our body’s immune system isn’t used to fighting the flu, so it could be more vulnerable this fall and winter, says Barron.

“We haven’t been exposed in two years, so our immune systems aren’t activated and ready when it comes to the flu,” Barron said.

She uses the analogy of running.

“If you’re training for a marathon, start running again. Like fitness in the past, you can’t rest on your laurels. It’s time to do it,” said Barron.

Can I get the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine at the same time?

yes. Getting both shots at the same time is perfectly safe, says Barron. Many will want to do just that this year he in September and he in October. If every eligible person gets vaccinated for both the new flu and he COVID-19 this fall, we will dramatically reduce severe cases of both the flu and he COVID-19 this fall and winter. You can, Barron said.

Annual flu and COVID vaccines could become the new normal, and in the future, two vaccines could be combined into one.

When can I get the flu vaccination?

Influenza vaccination is now available in most health care facilities. Check with your doctor’s office or employer and make an appointment immediately.

When will the new COVID-19 booster shots be available?

of A new COVID-19 booster shot dedicated to the latest Omicron variant Recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Similar to flu shots, these new COVID-19 boosters should be available nationwide within days.

When is the best time to get the flu vaccine?

Barron recommends getting a flu shot as soon as possible, no later than October.

Will the flu vaccine keep me from getting sick?

No vaccine is perfect. Influenza vaccines are particularly complicated, Barron said. This is because vaccine makers have to guess in advance which flu strains will be circulating later in the year. .

Some years the flu vaccine works better than others.

But even if it’s not an exact match, getting the flu vaccine can dramatically reduce hospitalizations and deaths from the flu.

“It keeps you out of the hospital and it keeps you out of death,” Baron said.

So her advice for now is very simple. “Please get the flu vaccine.”

“This year is probably going to be a bad flu year. Protect yourself,” she said. “Over the past few years we have focused on COVID, COVID, COVID. Influenza epidemic in MayThis is a preview of what will happen this fall and winter. Many people can get sick. Influenza recurs. ”

There is a myth that the flu shot will give you the flu. What is the truth about flu vaccinations and flu?

“Having a flu shot doesn’t give you the flu. Barron said, “If you get the flu after getting the flu shot, you’ll get it anyway. It’s just bad timing and bad luck. Get your flu shot as soon as possible.”

Are there special types of flu shots for older people and those who need to boost their immune system?

“Yes. People over the age of 65 have high-dose flu shots, which are meant to further strengthen the immune system,” Barron said.

When you book your flu shot at a healthcare provider, if you’re older, you should automatically get a vaccination specifically prescribed for older people. But, of course, it’s wise to ask about the type of flu shot you’re getting.