It’s important to get a flu shot every year, no matter how old you are. It’s particularly important for older adults. Now that it’s sweater weather and fall is here, it’s time to get your flu shot!
Talk to your doctor about getting the flu shot and about whether you should get a special vaccine available for people over 65. The good news: Medicare covers the full cost of a flu shot.
You do not need to go to the doctor’s office for your flu shot. You can usually get the flu shot at your local pharmacy or supermarket. More pharmacies are offering drive-through and curbside flu shots, in addition to in-store vaccines.
Why get the flu shot now? That’s how you best protect yourself, the people you love and your community. The flu, like Covid-19, can be lethal. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the flu kills as many as 50,000 people each year. Between nine and 41 million Americans get sick from the flu and hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized from the flu each year.
Because people have been taking precautions against Covid-19 though, in 2021-22, the CDC found a significant drop in hospitalizations and deaths from the flu. Ten thousand people in the US were hospitalized from the flu and 5,000 people died. Older adults are more likely to die from the flu than younger people.
The flu vaccine takes between two and four weeks to become effective. So, even if you get it now, it might not protect you from the flu until the end of October. It will not protect you from Covid-19, though the symptoms can be quite similar–a cough, a cold, sore throat, fever. You should also talk to your doctor about getting the Covid-19 booster shot, now available; also ask whether you should get the new RSV vaccine.
Sometimes the flu shot will not keep you from getting the flu. However, even if you get the flu, the flu shot reduces the odds that it will be a severe case. The flu shot may keep you from being hospitalized for the flu or, worse still, from being in the intensive care unit of the hospital. It also reduces your risk of death.
You shouldn’t wait to get the flu shot. No one knows whether the flu season will begin this month or next. You want to protect yourself as soon as possible.
You need the flu shot even if you haven’t gotten the flu before. (There is one exception: People who are allergic to the flu vaccine.) There is only benefit from getting the flu shot. The flu shot cannot give you the flu.
Here’s some good news: Everything you do to protect yourself from Covid-19, including social distancing, wearing a mask and regular hand washing–should also minimize your chance of getting the flu!
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