Well, although it still might feel like summer outside, it's also that time of year to start preparing for *** flu season. And that means getting your flu shot. You know what? There are so many different misconceptions out there about the flu shot, some of which may actually cause you to avoid getting one. So we're here to break down the fact versus fiction and when it comes to those shots, Pharmacy district leader, Amy Lynn. Thanks so much for joining us. Thank you so much for having me. All right. So I'm excited because we're actually going to play *** game, which I find really fun. So you're gonna say *** statement about the flu and we're gonna decide, is it fact or is it fiction? It is gonna be fun? All right. So you go ahead and start off with your first statement. Yeah, let's go ahead and get started. So the first one, you can get the flu from getting *** flu vaccine. I'm gonna say fiction. It is fiction. So this is *** really big common misconception when it comes to the flu vaccine. So *** lot of people think I'm not gonna get the vaccine, it will cause the flu, but it's actually an inactivated vaccine. So it is impossible for it to actually cause the flu. But, but for people who feel sick and what is that? That's like your body's immune system. Right. So, the vaccine causes side effects. So sometimes people can mistake that for the flu. But it is common to feel *** little bit under the weather at your vaccine, your arm won't be sore. You might feel *** little bit tired, but that goes away usually in just 2 to 3 days, still better than getting the flu itself. Ok. Next one, better flu vaccines are necessary every year. Oh, I'm gonna say, I wanna say *** fact, but I'm gonna say because I don't get it every year. So this is actually *** fact. I was right by one. Thanks for keeping score. The flu vaccine is not *** one in done type of shot. So the flu virus does change and there are different strains that are prominent every year. So each of the formulation is different. So it is important to make sure you get the updated vaccine every year. Ok. And this next one has to do with timing. So it's too early to get the flu vaccine now. Fiction, fiction. Right? I did it before. Yes. Yes, absolutely. So it actually takes your body two weeks to develop the antibodies to the vaccine. So some people might think it's too early, but really we're right in the height of that flu season. So now is the time to go and get one. Ok. What's up next? It's hard to find *** place to get *** flu vaccine. Fiction. Yes. All right. Yes. So we have *** 9000 stores across the country that anybody can walk in and get *** flu vaccine at any time. Um, so you have *** lot of availability for our patients. So it's really easy to walk into your neighborhood pharmacy and get *** vaccine from your pharmacist and most people can schedule it with their regular doctor as well. Right? Um Yeah, absolutely. But with CV S, we do offer *** um online scheduling tool where you can actually schedule appointments for you and the whole family at the same time. So year we all went together. Yeah. And they *** lot easier. Yeah. Ok. So next one is you can get both the flu and COVID vaccines at the same time. Fact that is fact. So you guys are doing great. Uh Both vaccines are inactivated vaccines. So it's perfectly safe to get them at the same time. Ok. And then is this, is this our last question? I believe the next one is we don't need to get additional COVID boosters fiction, I think. OK, I'm gonna say because we just did *** story on there's *** changing *** new Yes. So this was kind of *** trick question. It's neither fact nor fiction. Um as we know, the COVID virus is always changing and evolving. So right now, we are trying to uh follow CDC guidance and kind of keep on top of what the new variants are going to be. So there is an updated booster for this year with the prominent variant for this season. Um But we'll see what the guidance of the CDC says tells us. Um hopefully it will be an annual vaccine like the flu in the future, but we just have to wait and see for that. All right, Amy, thank you so much for being here. This is fine. Thank you so much.
Here鈥檚 when flu season starts and ends in the US, according to experts
There鈥檚 no time like the present for the flu vaccine, though.
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Updated: 8:06 AM CDT Oct 3, 2023
Between COVID-19, RSV, and the flu, there has been an onslaught of respiratory virus news over the past few years. While a recent jump in COVID-19 cases and new strains of the virus have gotten a lot of airplay, flu season is coming up fast, and it鈥檚 a good time for a refresher on how flu season works.Technically, you can get the flu any time, but the virus does tend to infect people more during certain times of the year, beginning in the fall. When is flu season exactly, though? Here鈥檚 what you need to know. When is flu season in the U.S.?Flu season varies across the world: The southern hemisphere, which has its summer when we have our winter and vice-versa, goes through flu season during opposite times as the northern hemisphere, says infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.The exact timing of flu season can vary but, in the U.S., flu activity usually starts to pick up in October, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cooler weather drives more people indoors, explains Dr. Richard Watkins, an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. 鈥淢ore people inside means they鈥檙e more likely to transmit viruses,鈥� he says.From there, flu season typically peaks in December and February, before petering out in the springtime. In some seasons, heightened flu activity can last as late as May, the CDC says.Does flu season change from year to year?It can. There鈥檚 not one set day on the calendar when the flu starts up in the U.S. and then another when it disappears, says Dr. Thomas Russo, a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. 鈥淔lu season can vary a little bit,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t tends to show up after Halloween in terms of cases really increasing, but it depends.鈥漋ariations in timing can be due to which strains are circulating, when they showed up from the southern hemisphere, and how much lingering immunity people have from the previous flu season, Russo says. 鈥淎s a general rule, though, flu activity is the highest in December and January,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭hat makes sense with people getting together over the holidays.鈥� Why the flu is a concernThe flu is a contagious respiratory illness that鈥檚 caused by influenza viruses, according to the CDC. The flu can cause illness that ranges from mild to severe, and it can be deadly.The flu mainly spreads through tiny droplets that are created when someone with the flu coughs, sneezes or talks, the CDC explains. Those droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of other people and infect them. It鈥檚 less common, but a person might get the flu by touching an infected surface and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes.Flu symptoms usually come on suddenly and they can vary, but the CDC says they generally include the following:fever or feeling feverish/having chillscoughsore throatrunny or stuffy nosemuscle or body achesheadachesfatiguevomiting and diarrhea (this is more common in children than adults)鈥淔lu is a potentially lethal virus that kills tens of thousands of people each year,鈥� Russo explains. 鈥淣o one is risk-free when it comes to getting the flu, and even young, healthy people feel pretty miserable when they have it. It鈥檚 a serious virus that deserves our respect.鈥滺as COVID-19 affected flu season?COVID-19 can impact flu season, Russo says. During the peak of the pandemic in 2020, COVID-19 鈥渂asically made flu season non-existent,鈥� Adalja says. Case in point: There were just a little more than 2,000 flu cases reported to public health officials between late September 2020 and late April 2021, according to CDC data. But an estimated 36 million people had the flu during the 2019-2020 flu season.Now, flu cases have rebounded, with an estimated 26 to 50 million flu cases, 290,000 to 670,000 hospitalizations, and 17,000 to 98,000 deaths from flu last year, per the CDC. (The data is still preliminary at this point, which is why the CDC gives a range.)New COVID-19 strains have also been circulating and challenging immunity from previous infections and the vaccine鈥攖hat caused a late-summer wave of infections that is still ongoing, Russo says.鈥淐OVID has changed flu season a little bit,鈥� Russo continues. 鈥淭hese viruses seem to be in competition.鈥� Meaning, when cases of COVID-19 are high, cases of the flu tend to be lower, and vice-versa. 鈥淚f you have a COVID wave, you tend not to have a flu wave at the same time,鈥� he says.For this season, Russo says it鈥檚 unclear which wave will come first. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still learning the rules of timing with these,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here are multiple viruses playing the same sandbox, and it鈥檚 hard to know how this season will play out.鈥漅egardless, experts stress the importance of getting your flu vaccine. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the best way to ensure this is a mild season,鈥� Adalja says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also an easy way to protect yourself against the flu.鈥滱nother thing you can do? Wash your hands. 鈥淗and hygiene is vital,鈥� adds Russo.
Between COVID-19, RSV, and the flu, there has been an onslaught of respiratory virus news over the past few years. While a recent jump in COVID-19 cases and new strains of the virus have gotten a lot of airplay, flu season is coming up fast, and it鈥檚 a good time for a refresher on how flu season works.
Technically, you can get the flu any time, but the virus does tend to infect people more during certain times of the year, beginning in the fall. When is flu season exactly, though? Here鈥檚 what you need to know.
When is flu season in the U.S.?
Flu season varies across the world: The southern hemisphere, which has its summer when we have our winter and vice-versa, goes through flu season during opposite times as the northern hemisphere, says infectious disease expert , a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
The exact timing of flu season can vary but, in the U.S., flu activity usually starts to pick up in October, according to the . Cooler weather drives more people indoors, explains , an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. 鈥淢ore people inside means they鈥檙e more likely to transmit viruses,鈥� he says.
From there, flu season typically peaks in December and February, before petering out in the springtime. In some seasons, heightened flu activity can last as late as May, the CDC says.
Does flu season change from year to year?
It can. There鈥檚 not one set day on the calendar when the flu starts up in the U.S. and then another when it disappears, says , a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York. 鈥淔lu season can vary a little bit,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t tends to show up after Halloween in terms of cases really increasing, but it depends.鈥�
Variations in timing can be due to which strains are circulating, when they showed up from the southern hemisphere, and how much lingering immunity people have from the previous flu season, Russo says. 鈥淎s a general rule, though, flu activity is the highest in December and January,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭hat makes sense with people getting together over the holidays.鈥�
Why the flu is a concern
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness that鈥檚 caused by influenza viruses, according to the . The flu can cause illness that ranges from mild to severe, and it can be deadly.
The flu mainly spreads through tiny droplets that are created when someone with the flu coughs, sneezes or talks, the CDC explains. Those droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of other people and infect them. It鈥檚 less common, but a person might get the flu by touching an infected surface and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes.
Flu symptoms usually come on suddenly and they can vary, but the CDC says they generally include the following:
- fever or feeling feverish/having chills
- cough
- sore throat
- runny or stuffy nose
- muscle or body aches
- headaches
- fatigue
- vomiting and diarrhea (this is more common in children than adults)
鈥淔lu is a potentially lethal virus that each year,鈥� Russo explains. 鈥淣o one is risk-free when it comes to getting the flu, and even young, healthy people feel pretty miserable when they have it. It鈥檚 a serious virus that deserves our respect.鈥�
Has COVID-19 affected flu season?
COVID-19 can impact flu season, Russo says. During the peak of the pandemic in 2020, COVID-19 鈥渂asically made flu season non-existent,鈥� Adalja says. Case in point: There were just a little more than 2,000 flu cases reported to public health officials between late September 2020 and late April 2021, according to . But an estimated had the flu during the 2019-2020 flu season.
Now, flu cases have rebounded, with an estimated 26 to 50 million flu cases, 290,000 to 670,000 hospitalizations, and 17,000 to 98,000 deaths from flu last year, per the . (The data is still preliminary at this point, which is why the CDC gives a range.)
New COVID-19 strains have also been circulating and challenging immunity from previous infections and the vaccine鈥攖hat caused a late-summer wave of infections that is still ongoing, Russo says.
鈥淐OVID has changed flu season a little bit,鈥� Russo continues. 鈥淭hese viruses seem to be in competition.鈥� Meaning, when cases of COVID-19 are high, cases of the flu tend to be lower, and vice-versa. 鈥淚f you have a COVID wave, you tend not to have a flu wave at the same time,鈥� he says.
For this season, Russo says it鈥檚 unclear which wave will come first. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still learning the rules of timing with these,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here are multiple viruses playing the same sandbox, and it鈥檚 hard to know how this season will play out.鈥�
Regardless, experts stress the importance of getting your flu vaccine. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the best way to ensure this is a mild season,鈥� Adalja says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also an easy way to protect yourself against the flu.鈥�
Another thing you can do? Wash your hands. 鈥淗and hygiene is vital,鈥� adds Russo.
