Don’t Wait, Vaccinate: August is Immunization Awareness Month
One thing we all learned from the COVID-19 experience is that viruses mutate frequently and vaccinations need to be updated to remain effective against the new versions. This is true for the seasonal influenza virus as well, and it's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have long recommended that everyone 6 months and older get an updated flu shot every year.
But why are we talking about flu shots now, with the temperature outside hovering in the triple digits and winter flu season impossibly far away?
August is Immunization Awareness Month for a reason. For our older or otherwise health-challenged loved ones, it is important to develop full protection BEFORE flu season starts — and it takes about two weeks after a vaccination for that protection to develop. If you call your doctor and schedule those shots now (and help your older loved ones to schedule theirs) your whole family can be vaccinated and immunized before flu season sneaks up on us here in North Texas (and we promise it will).
Here's a tip: while you're scheduling flu shots, check to see if you and your family members are due for any other vaccinations. We've linked below to the CDC Adult Vaccination Assessment Tool, which includes an easy fill-in-the-blanks questionnaire that will let you know about other vaccinations — like the shingles vaccine — that you might want to put on your schedule this month.
And of course, there is one more vaccine-related question that we've been seeing all over social media this summer: with new Omicron-specific vaccines coming in the fall, does it make sense to get an ordinary COVID-19 booster shot now?
Though this is something you should discuss with your doctor and your older loved ones’ medical teams, most of the experts we follow agree that you should NOT wait if you are due for a booster shot now.
It is true that current boosters might not prevent infection from the Omicron variant, or the BA.5 Omicron subvariant that is currently driving up case numbers, but those boosters still appear to help prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death. Those are the important protections, so do not put them off while waiting for possible better protection in the future. This is unlikely to be your last opportunity to get a booster, anyway, as periodically improved boosters may be part of the medical landscape moving forward, particularly for the elderly and those with COVID-specific health risks.
If you are not sure if you or your loved ones are currently due for a booster shot, our last link below will take you to the regularly-updated CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters page. Scroll down the page to the Find Out When to Get a Booster clickable link and follow the directions to determine your eligibility.
If you need help organizing a full slate of recommended vaccinations or arranging travel to medical appointments for your older loved ones, please call us at (817) 887-9401. The compassionate caregivers from Overture Home Care are available 24/7 to help get your family ready for flu season.
LINKS:
CDC National Immunization Awareness Month Page
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam/index.html
CDC Adult Vaccine Assessment Tool
https://www2a.cdc.gov/nip/adultimmsched/
CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters Information Page
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html