The Future Of Health Nobody likes to get sick, or even worse, lay in the hospital because of that. And thus, whenever we have an opportunity to escape such an experience, we should take advantage of it!
People with serious health conditions and those who did not build up their flu immunity will suffer the most from this disease, which is why we should get vaccinated! And by reading this article further, you will find out more reasons why flu vaccination is good for you.
Why should you get vaccinated?
Flu vaccination works similarly to that of COVID, which means that it is important to create a group immunity so that not only you but the ones around you would not get infected.
This is especially important for elderly people and for those having serious health conditions that will worsen after getting influenza.
Here are some additional facts about influenza during COVID-19:
- Flu cases might have lowered during the pandemic, but this is only because of all of our safety measures such as masks and social distancing: as we were mostly sitting at home or wearing masks while going out, the flu did not spread as much.
- But now, when the restrictions are being taken down, flu cases are beginning to increase again! And as we did not build our immunity to influenza in the past few years, our symptoms might worsen, which means that vaccination is now more important than ever.
When to get vaccinated?
Everyone older than six months should be vaccinated against influenza on a constant basis. And although some prefer to do it as early as the vaccine starts to be available, experts say that it is better to wait until September or even the beginning of October to get your flu vaccine.
This happens because the vaccine works only for 4-6 months after you get it, which is why professionals recommend doing it at the beginning of fall so that the peak months of influenza infection would be covered.
However, there are cases when early vaccination might be needed:
- Children might need two doses of flu vaccination, which is why they might get their first shot in August;
- Women in the third trimester of their pregnancy might also reschedule their flu vaccination and take a shot at the end of the summer.
As for revaccination, experts say that we should not be relying on the vaccines we received the last year: like any other virus, influenza is also changing over time, which is why a new dose is required. What is more, we already know that the vaccine becomes weaker months after receiving it, which is why it is also needed in the new season.