Even in a normal year, the Flu vaccine would be an essential part of public health. But this year, with a global epidemic continuing to blaze across the nation, the flu vaccine is more important than ever. Taking care of your health requires a full spectrum of care, including vaccinations on top of your usual healthy lifestyle choices. In order to make the best choices, many are concerned about the validity and safety of getting their yearly influenza vaccination. Read on for answers to your flu vaccine questions.
Flu and Covid Risks
Getting the flu vaccine won’t provide any protection from COVID-19. The viruses are very different, so your yearly flu vaccination won’t protect you from the Coronavirus. To protect from the coronavirus, you should wear a mask in public, avoid unnecessarily exposing yourself to others, and receive a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available and through clinical trials.
However, it’s fair to say that getting a flu vaccine would reduce your risk of getting a severe case of COVID-19. Getting with both at the same time or even coming down with the flu and then COVID could be very dangerous. Severe cases of COVID-19 typically result from being at-risk – having asthma, COPD, or other health risks.
Influenza and COVID-19 both affect your lungs, as they are ‘respiratory illnesses.’ It is still early in the flu season, so it’s difficult to say how these viruses could interact with each other. Experts are very concerned about the potential for both to have higher than normal life-threatening complications.
When Getting the Flu Vaccine
There is no reason to avoid getting a flu vaccine as long as you remember the safety measures you can enact yourself. Clinics, pharmacies, and hospitals across the nation are ensuring safety for all visitors and patients by utilizing careful visitor monitoring, symptom screening, masking, social distancing, and efficient appointments.
Each year, the flu vaccine is updated and developed based on which strains of influenza will become most prevalent, and which have mutated over the year. There is a great deal of misinformation regarding vaccines and their safety, but know that there are thousands of people in the healthcare industry who are working hard to ensure that the flu vaccine is as safe as possible – many clinics are now supplied with egg-free vaccines should their patients have egg allergies. This is a simple step to take in order to protect yourself and others from a serious and common illness.