VACCINATED. IT鈥橲 AN ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT YEAR TO GET THE FLU SHOT AND DR. MIRIAM ALEXANDER SAYS NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO DO IT GETTING THE SHOT IN OCTOBER WILL PROTECT YOU FOR THE HGHEIT OF THE FLU SEASON BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND MARCH THOUGH EXPERTS SAY IT鈥橲 HARD TO PREDICT HOW BAD THIS FLU SEASON WILL BE WE BASICALLY HAD NO FLU FOR OVER A YEAR INCLUDING IN BOTH THE NORTHERN. AND SOUTHERN HEMISPHERES AND THE FLU KIND OF CYCLES THROUGH BETWEEN DIFFERENT PTSAR OF THE GLOBE, AND THERE鈥橲 JUST NOT A LOT OF FLU OUT THERE SOT ICOULD BE THE CASE THAT WE HAVE ANOTHER MILD FLU SEASON, BUT WE HAVE TO PREPARE FOR THE WORST. THAT MEANS GETTING YOUR FLU SHOT. THERE鈥橲 SOME CONCERN INHE T MEDICAL COMMUNITY THAT LAST YEAR鈥橲 LACK OF FLU SEASON MEANS PEOPLE WLIL HEAV LESS IMMUNITY AGAINST THE FLU, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A WORSE FLU SEASON VIRUSES USUALLY MUTATE SORT OF SLOWLY. SO SINCE THERE WASN鈥橳 MUCH EXPOSURE LAST YEAR, PERHAPS WE AS A POPULATION ARE GOING TO HAVE LESS. UM LESS IMMUNITY DR. ALEXANDER SAYS THE UPTAKE ON THE FLU SHOT IS SLOWER THAN EXPECTED FOR TSHI TIME OF YEAR, BUT SHE鈥橲 HOPING THINGS WILL PICK UP COVID IS GETTING AOT L OF ATTENTION, BUT THE FLU CAN ALSO BE A DANGEROUS DISEASE ILUNFENZA KILLS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS EVERY YEAR USUALLY PEOPLE THAT ARE VERYLD O AND VERY YOUNG ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT FLUIDS REALLY IMPORTANT REMEMBER IT HAS A DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON YOUNG CHILDREN CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN FIVE. SO IT鈥橲 VERY IMPORTANT TO GET PEOPLE VACCINATED AND TO KEEP OF CONTROL DOCTORS SAY YOU SHOULD GET VACCINATED FOR BOTH COVID-19 AND THE FLU YOU CAN EVEN GET THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. THE FLU SHOT HAS BEEN ARNDOU FOR DECASDE DOCTORS SAY IT鈥橲 SAFE AND WIDELY AVAILABLE. THE MORE PEOPLE THEY GET THE FLU SHOT THE MORE INSURANCE WE鈥橰E GONNA HAVE AGAINSTHE T SEASON OF FLU SEASON THAT鈥橲 SYNERGIZES WITH THE COVID-19 SEASON THAT W鈥橰E' GONNA LIKELY HAVE IN THE FALL AND WINTER. IF PEOPLE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW COVID-19 PROTOCOLS LIKE MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING DR. ALEXANDER SAYS THAT WILL HELP CUT DOWN ON THE SPREAD OF THE FLU AS WELL REPORTING L
Can you get a flu shot when you鈥檙e sick? An expert weighs in
Sometimes you should go for it.
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Updated: 6:31 AM CDT Oct 15, 2021
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Whether you made an appointment with your doctor or are just going to hit up your local pharmacy, it can feel so good to plan to get your annual flu shot. You're being proactive about your health. Bhat doesn鈥檛 feel so hot? Feeling sick at the same time you planned to get your vaccine.Now you probably have some questions about next steps. Namely, can you get a flu shot when you鈥檙e sick?To be honest, even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isn鈥檛 a huge help here. This is what the organization currently says online about getting a flu shot when you鈥檙e sick: 鈥淚f you are not feeling well, talk to your doctor about your symptoms.鈥� The answer is a little more complicated than a blanket yes or no. But not all illnesses are the same, and doctors say you鈥檙e likely just fine to get the flu shot under some circumstances, but not others. Then there鈥檚 the global pandemic to consider, and the fact that maybe you shouldn鈥檛 be out in public if you have certain symptoms.Confused yet? The good news is that you鈥檒l be able to get your flu shot at some point. You just may need to do a little due diligence first before you stick with your original plan. Read this before rescheduling your flu shot. First, here鈥檚 who should get a flu shot.In general, the CDC recommends that people over the age of six months get an annual flu shot. Worth noting: That includes pregnant people, people with certain chronic health conditions and those with egg allergies. However, the CDC says that certain people shouldn鈥檛 get an annual flu shot, including children under age six months, people with severe, life-threatening allergies to any ingredients in a flu vaccine (like gelatin or certain antibiotics), and those who have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past (although the CDC recommends checking in with your doctor if the last one describes you). So, can you get a flu shot when you鈥檙e sick?Pull up a seat 鈥� we鈥檝e got a few things to cover here. While the CDC is kinda-totally vague about whether it鈥檚 okay to get a flu shot when you鈥檙e sick, the CDC鈥檚 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has general vaccine info that addresses whether it鈥檚 okay to receive any vaccine when you鈥檙e not feeling well. Ultimately, a lot boils down to how severe your symptoms are and what kind of illness you have. 鈥淭he safety and efficacy of vaccinating persons who have mild illnesses have been documented,鈥� the ACIP says, adding that, 鈥渧accination should be deferred for persons with a moderate or severe acute illness.鈥� Here's how you can break that all down: 鈥淚n general, if you have a little cold or the sniffles, it鈥檚 okay to proceed with a flu shot,鈥� said Timothy Murphy, MD, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. 鈥淭o a certain extent, it鈥檚 a judgment call, depending on how bad you鈥檙e feeling.鈥� Keep this in mind, too: The vaccine should work just fine for you, whether you鈥檙e feeling a little off or not. 鈥淭here are no suggestions that the vaccine, if given, wouldn't 鈥榳ork,'鈥� said David Cennimo, MD, assistant professor of medicine-pediatrics infectious disease at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Murphy agrees. 鈥淗aving a mild illness has no impact on how well the vaccine works,鈥� he said. When *shouldn鈥檛* you get a flu shot if you鈥檙e sick?Got a fever? It鈥檚 a good idea to reschedule, said Isabel Valdez, PA-C, an instructor of internal medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. 鈥淔evers are one of the body鈥檚 way of asking for help,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o, if you have a fever, it's best to follow up with your medical provider and wait to get the flu shot until the fever resolves.鈥漈here鈥檚 not really a hard line in the sand of how high a fever is problematic, but Dr. Murphy recommends putting off your flu shot for 鈥渁nything over 101.鈥� Also, if you have a more intense intestinal bug, are vomiting, or 鈥渁re just feeling really uncomfortable,鈥� Murphy suggests waiting. 鈥淏ut, if it鈥檚 a little bit of an upset stomach that鈥檚 mild, I would go ahead and get the shot,鈥� he said.Given that we鈥檙e in the middle of a global pandemic, Murphy noted that it鈥檚 a good idea to make sure that your 鈥渃old鈥� is actually just that before you roll up to your doctor鈥檚 office or local pharmacy with symptoms that could be confused with COVID-19. 鈥淕et tested before going and getting your flu shot,鈥� he advised. Also, if you have a hacking cough from your cold, you may want to put off your shot until your symptoms ease up, just to make yourself and the people around you feel more comfortable 鈥� even if you know it's "just" a cold. If you get your flu vaccine when you鈥檙e sick, will you feel worse?Not necessarily. If you have a stuffy nose or another mild issue, Murphy said you鈥檒l probably feel just fine. But if you鈥檙e not feeling so hot and you get your flu vaccine, you could feel a little yuckier than usual afterward.鈥淚n general, some people feel a bit unwell after vaccines as part of the immune response鈥攖hey may feel tired, achy, etc. for a day,鈥� Cennimo said. 鈥淚f they go into this sick already, they may feel worse.鈥� If you have a fever when you get your flu shot 鈥� which, again, isn鈥檛 recommended 鈥� you could confuse that with side effects from the vaccine, he pointed out.When can you get your flu shot?If you put off your flu vaccine because you weren鈥檛 at your healthiest, experts say you can pretty much reschedule as soon as you feel better. 鈥淎 reasonable guideline is when you鈥檝e been fever-free for 24 hours,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淏ut it really comes down to judgment. When you鈥檙e feeling good, just go for it.鈥�
Whether you made an appointment with your doctor or are just going to hit up your local pharmacy, it can feel so good to plan to get your . You're being proactive about your health. Bhat doesn鈥檛 feel so hot? Feeling sick at the same time you planned to get your vaccine.
Now you probably have some questions about next steps. Namely, can you get a flu shot when you鈥檙e sick?
To be honest, even the isn鈥檛 a huge help here. This is what the organization currently says online about getting a flu shot when you鈥檙e sick: 鈥淚f you are not feeling well, talk to your doctor about your symptoms.鈥�
The answer is a little more complicated than a blanket yes or no. But not all illnesses are the same, and doctors say you鈥檙e likely just fine to get the flu shot under some circumstances, but not others. Then there鈥檚 the global pandemic to consider, and the fact that maybe you shouldn鈥檛 be out in public if you have certain symptoms.
Confused yet? The good news is that you鈥檒l be able to get your flu shot at some point. You just may need to do a little due diligence first before you stick with your original plan. Read this before rescheduling your flu shot.
First, here鈥檚 who should get a flu shot.
In general, the recommends that people over the age of six months get an annual flu shot. Worth noting: That includes , people with certain chronic health conditions and those with egg allergies.
However, the CDC says that certain people shouldn鈥檛 get an annual flu shot, including children under age six months, people with severe, life-threatening allergies to any ingredients in a flu vaccine (like gelatin or certain antibiotics), and those who have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past (although the CDC recommends checking in with your doctor if the last one describes you).
So, can you get a flu shot when you鈥檙e sick?
Pull up a seat 鈥� we鈥檝e got a few things to cover here. While the CDC is kinda-totally vague about whether it鈥檚 okay to get a when you鈥檙e sick, the CDC鈥檚 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has that addresses whether it鈥檚 okay to receive any vaccine when you鈥檙e not feeling well.
Ultimately, a lot boils down to how severe your symptoms are and what kind of illness you have. 鈥淭he safety and efficacy of vaccinating persons who have mild illnesses have been documented,鈥� the ACIP says, adding that, 鈥渧accination should be deferred for persons with a moderate or severe acute illness.鈥�
Here's how you can break that all down: 鈥淚n general, if you have a little cold or the sniffles, it鈥檚 okay to proceed with a flu shot,鈥� said , senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. 鈥淭o a certain extent, it鈥檚 a judgment call, depending on how bad you鈥檙e feeling.鈥�
Keep this in mind, too: The vaccine should work just fine for you, whether you鈥檙e feeling a little off or not. 鈥淭here are no suggestions that the vaccine, if given, wouldn't 鈥榳ork,'鈥� said assistant professor of medicine-pediatrics infectious disease at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Murphy agrees. 鈥淗aving a mild illness has no impact on how well the vaccine works,鈥� he said.
When *shouldn鈥檛* you get a flu shot if you鈥檙e sick?
Got a fever? It鈥檚 a good idea to reschedule, said , an instructor of internal medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. 鈥淔evers are one of the body鈥檚 way of asking for help,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o, if you have a fever, it's best to follow up with your medical provider and wait to get the flu shot until the fever resolves.鈥�
There鈥檚 not really a hard line in the sand of how high a fever is problematic, but Dr. Murphy recommends putting off your flu shot for 鈥渁nything over 101.鈥�
Also, if you have a more intense intestinal bug, are vomiting, or 鈥渁re just feeling really uncomfortable,鈥� Murphy suggests waiting. 鈥淏ut, if it鈥檚 a little bit of an upset stomach that鈥檚 mild, I would go ahead and get the shot,鈥� he said.
Given that we鈥檙e in the middle of a global pandemic, Murphy noted that it鈥檚 a good idea to make sure that your 鈥渃old鈥� is actually just that before you roll up to your doctor鈥檚 office or local pharmacy with symptoms that could be confused with . 鈥淕et tested before going and getting your flu shot,鈥� he advised.
Also, if you have a hacking cough from your cold, you may want to put off your shot until your symptoms ease up, just to make yourself and the people around you feel more comfortable 鈥� even if you know it's "just" a cold.
If you get your flu vaccine when you鈥檙e sick, will you feel worse?
Not necessarily. If you have a stuffy nose or another mild issue, Murphy said you鈥檒l probably feel just fine. But if you鈥檙e not feeling so hot and you get your flu vaccine, you could feel a little yuckier than usual afterward.
鈥淚n general, some people feel a bit unwell after vaccines as part of the immune response鈥攖hey may feel tired, achy, etc. for a day,鈥� Cennimo said. 鈥淚f they go into this sick already, they may feel worse.鈥� If you have a fever when you get your flu shot 鈥� which, again, isn鈥檛 recommended 鈥� you could confuse that with side effects from the vaccine, he pointed out.
When can you get your flu shot?
If you put off your flu vaccine because you weren鈥檛 at your healthiest, experts say you can pretty much reschedule as soon as you feel better. 鈥淎 reasonable guideline is when you鈥檝e been fever-free for 24 hours,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淏ut it really comes down to judgment. When you鈥檙e feeling good, just go for it.鈥�
