Amid the push for increased COVID-19 vaccination to halt the pandemic, U.S. health experts are urging people not to forget to get their yearly flu shot.
While it’s true flu cases dropped to historic lows during the COVID-19 pandemic due to masks and social distancing, with schools and businesses fully reopened and fewer people wearing masks the flu could make a big comeback.
“The best way to protect against the flu is to get the vaccine,” said Dr. Kruti Yagnik, an infectious disease doctor with Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital. “Last year the flu season wasn’t bad at all because people were masking and social distancing due to COVID. Because immunity wanes over time and last year was a very mild season, we need to prepare ourselves for something that could be quite severe.”
Influenza (the flu) is a respiratory illness that spreads easily from person to person through coughing, sneezing and even talking. It sometimes takes up to four days after infection before you notice symptoms, which means you could be spreading the flu to those around you before you realize you are sick. Adults can spread the flu for up to seven days after first becoming sick and children can spread it for even longer.
Flu symptoms come on suddenly with fever, chills, sore throat, muscle aches, headaches, coughing and fatigue. It can last a few days or a couple of weeks; in rare cases it can lead to inflammation of the brain, respiratory kidney failure and even death. Experts agree that getting a vaccine is the most effective way to prevent the onset of flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone starting at age 6 months, including pregnant women. It is also recommended to get the vaccine before the end of October, as most cases of the flu occur in the cooler months of November, December and January. It takes about two weeks to develop antibodies so you’ll want to be protected prior to its peak and the holiday gatherings where it can spread quickly.
“The flu changes every year, and the yearly vaccine is based on the flu strains that international experts think will be most prevalent,” said Dr. Yagnik. “They look at the flu that is circulating and tailor the vaccine to cover those strains.”
Flu seasons occur at separate times in each hemisphere. Typically, the flu season lasts from April to September in the Southern Hemisphere and from October to May in the Northern Hemisphere.
Decisions on the composition of the flu vaccines are made months in advance so that the vaccine can be produced and available in time for the season. Since flu viruses are always changing, different strains can circulate in different areas of the world at various times of the year. As a result, separate recommendations are made for the flu vaccines produced in Northern and Southern hemispheres based on the data available at the time vaccine composition recommendations are made.
The flu vaccines for each hemisphere are optimized to protect against the flu virus that research indicates will circulate during the upcoming flu season in each hemisphere.
According to the CDC, all flu vaccines in the U.S. will be quadrivalent, designed to protect against four different flu viruses including two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses.
Different vaccines are approved for different age groups.
A quadrivalent nasal spray is approved for use in non-pregnant individuals, 2 years through 49 years old. And older adults (65 or older) have the option to receive a high-dose vaccine specifically formulated with more antigens for better protection against the flu.
Flu shots do not contain a live virus and are either inactivated or recombinant (containing no virus at all), so you cannot get the flu from the vaccine. The shots are administered in the upper arm. The nasal spray flu vaccine contains live-attenuated (weakened) influenza virus. Your doctor or pharmacists can help you determine which vaccine is best for you.
“The flu vaccine has an efficacy of 50-to-80 percent,” Dr. Yagnik told Vero Beach 32963.
“Getting the shot doesn’t always mean you won’t get the flu, but if you do get it will be less severe and it lowers the risk of hospitalization and death.
“Anyone with an egg allergy should tell their administrator because there are some egg products in the vaccine. [However], there also are two completely egg-free options available so you can still get vaccinated safely.”
Dr. Yagnik emphasized the need to receive both the COVID and flu vaccines.
“They are two completely different viruses and need two completely different vaccines. You can get them both together and it doesn’t change the efficacy, but some people prefer to wait a few days or weeks in between the vaccinations in case there are any side effects like a sore arm, fatigue or fever. It would be good to know which vaccine caused the reaction.”
If you do get the flu, it’s best to see your primary care or urgent care doctor right away. Some of the symptoms of COVID and the flu overlap but a lab test can pinpoint which virus you have and what the right treatment for you will be.
An at-home COVID test can also rule out COVID. It’s sometimes hard to differentiate a common cold from the flu, but flu generally has a fever whereas a cold will manifest with nasal congestion. In any case, get lots of rest and drink lots of fluids.
In addition to the flu vaccine, there are a few other things you can do to protect your family.
Limit your contact with sick people, wash your hands frequently, and if you have received a prescription for antiviral medication to fight the flu, take is as directed by your healthcare provider. And of course, continue to mask up as it’s been proven to be effective in the prevention of flu and COVID.
Dr. Kruti Yagnik received her medical education at Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Shands at the University of Florida, and her fellowship in Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Her office is in the Health and Wellness Building at Cleveland Clinic, Suite 203, 3450 11th Court in Vero Beach. To schedule an appointment, call 772-794-5631.
