Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Flu Shots Are Here, but Is It Too Early To Get One?
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 4 years ago on
August 21, 2020

Share

Pharmacies have already started their ad campaigns urging you to get a flu shot. And, CVS and Walgreens began giving shots this week in Fresno and Clovis.

Health officials in California are concerned about the confluence of the coronavirus and flu, noting a substantial decline in child vaccination rates since the pandemic.

But, is it too early to get a seasonal flu shot since it’s only effective for about six months?

“If you wait until October or November, it’s too late.”Dr. Rais Vohra, interim Fresno County health officer

Fresno County Department of Public Health

Local public health officials say that everyone should get the flu vaccine this year.

“There’s no excuse not to,” interim Fresno County health officer Dr. Rais Vohra told reporters on a Zoom call Friday afternoon.

“It’s not too early for people to start thinking about it. Certainly, by September, it will be much more important for people to be caught up. If you wait until October or November, it’s too late.”

Vohra also said that he wouldn’t be surprised if the state mandates flu shots for everyone this year.

CDC Recommendation

The CDC says you should get a flu vaccine before flu viruses begin spreading in your community.

It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection.

But here’s the rub.

According to the CDC, getting vaccinated early (for example, in July or August) could be associated with reduced protection against the flu infection later in the season, particularly among older adults.

The latest you should get vaccinated, the CDC says, is before the end of October.

As a general rule, “the flu shot is most effective in the first three months, (but) people still have protection after six months,” Dr. Vanessa Raabe, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health, told health.com.

Flu Shots at Walgreens and CVS

Walgreens began offering flu shots at all locations this week.

“The convergence of COVID-19 and flu season means that flu vaccinations are critical to reduce the overall burden of respiratory illnesses on the healthcare system and help protect communities,” said Dr. Kevin Ban, chief medical officer for Walgreens, in a press release.

CVS says it will conduct temperature checks, ask about COVID-19 symptoms, and require pharmacists to wear face shields when giving the vaccine.

CVS expects to more than double the flu shots it administers during a typical season, spokesperson Matthew Blanchette said in an email to USA Today.

Australia Flu Season

Flu experts sometimes look at Australia’s flu season in the Southern Hemisphere to get a sense of the strain and how it might spread north of the equator in countries such as the United States.

According to the country’s Department of Health surveillance report, influenza has virtually disappeared, with only 85 cases reported in the last two weeks of June. That compares to more than 20,000 confirmed cases for the same time period last year.

Flu Shot Effectiveness

CDC conducts studies to determine how well the flu vaccine performs. Recent studies show that vaccination reduces the risk of flu between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the vaccine.

2018 study showed that from 2012 to 2015 flu vaccination among adults reduced the risk of being admitted to an intensive care unit with the flu by 82%.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)

DON'T MISS

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

DON'T MISS

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

DON'T MISS

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

DON'T MISS

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

DON'T MISS

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

DON'T MISS

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

DON'T MISS

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

DON'T MISS

Music Legend Quincy Jones, Architect of Pop’s Greatest Hits, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

UP NEXT

Sanger Men Arrested in Connection with Slingshot Vandalism Spree at Businesses

UP NEXT

What Is Sierra Unified’s Plan to Boost Lagging Student Achievement?

UP NEXT

Big Spenders: These Companies Are Giving the Most to California Legislative Candidates

UP NEXT

Fresno State Bulldogs Stumble in Fourth Quarter, Suffer Narrow Loss to Hawai’i

UP NEXT

Challengers Seek Seats on Tulare County Irrigation District Boards

UP NEXT

Shy Pup Finds Hope with Foster Family, Evasion from Euthanasia

UP NEXT

Immediate Threat: Mussel Invades California’s Delta, First Time in North America

UP NEXT

AMOR Wellness Trunk-or-Treat Brings 700 Mendota Residents Together for Halloween Fun

UP NEXT

What Kind of Trouble Is Miguel Arias Trying to Stir Up This Time?

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

36 mins ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

42 mins ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

1 hour ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

1 hour ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

2 hours ago

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

2 hours ago

Music Legend Quincy Jones, Architect of Pop’s Greatest Hits, Dies at 91

2 hours ago

Big Pharma Backs Harris 6-to-1 Over Trump in Presidential Campaign Contributions

3 hours ago

Sanger Men Arrested in Connection with Slingshot Vandalism Spree at Businesses

3 hours ago

What Is Sierra Unified’s Plan to Boost Lagging Student Achievement?

3 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

This year’s early voting period appears to be far more polluted with election misinformation than those in previous presidential races, acco...

10 mins ago

Voters cast their ballots at Desert Breeze Community Center in Las Vegas during the last day of in-person early voting in Nevada on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Nearly 75 million people have cast early ballots, making their voices heard amid worry about the process, the outcome and democracy itself. (Bridget Bennett/The New York Times)
10 mins ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

18 mins ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

22 mins ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

36 mins ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

42 mins ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

Gerrick Franklin (pictured), 34, was taken into custody Sunday in Madera County on suspicion of killing Tyler Hamon, 33. (Fresno PD)
1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

1 hour ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, on stage during a campaign rally in Lititz, Pa., on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. Trump told supporters on Sunday that he “shouldn’t have left” the White House at the end of his term during an end-of-campaign rally where he vented angrily about a spate of new public polls showing him losing ground to Vice President Kamala Harris and joked about reporters being shot at. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

Search

Send this to a friend