Flu shots are here. Don’t take them yet. Covid shots aren’t here yet. Take them fast
Flu season is right around the corner.
And while you might be looking to get that annual vaccine shot out of the way early, for good reason, public health officials say you should wait just a little longer.
“August is too early if you want to be protected through the entire flu season,” Karianne Yarnell, registered nurse and vaccine coordinator for the Panhandle Health District, said in a news release Thursday.
Yarnell said the best time to get your flu shot is late September or early October. That way the vaccine won’t wane before the flu season is over and you get the most protection throughout the entire flu season, she said.
There are several considerations, however, for specific groups of people. For example, pregnant people who are in their third trimester can get a flu vaccine in August to protect their babies from the flu after they’re born, when they’re too young to get vaccinated themselves, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Additionally, children who need two doses of the flu vaccine should get their first dose as soon as it becomes available. The second dose should be given at least four weeks after the first, the CDC says. But generally, adults and pregnant people in their first or second trimester should avoid getting the flu shot in August unless for some reason they won’t be able to get it in September or October.
The respiratory virus season — when influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are circulating — typically begins in mid to late September and can last through April, according to the health district. The season usually peaks in January and February.
COVID-19 isn’t just seasonal, though. The virus has been circulating year-round, with an increase in Boise this summer that a state health official said might have been worsened by people staying indoors more because of excessive heat and wildfire smoke.
The health district said everyone age 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine annually.
Since flu viruses are constantly evolving, the vaccines are updated each year to offer the most protection. The flu vaccines protect against three or four viruses that research suggests will be the most common during a particular flu season, the health district said.
“In addition to being vaccinated, every day preventive actions can stop the spread of viruses,” Yarnell said. “Stay home from work or school when you’re sick, cover your coughs and sneezes, wash your hands and disinfect surfaces to keep your family healthy.”
COVID shots coming soon: Walgreens plans for Sept. 6
When it comes to COVID-19, however, it’s best not to wait to get a shot. The updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were approved Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration to help protect against the latest strains of the virus.
The mRNA vaccines target the KP.2 variant, a descendant of the highly contagious JN.1 variant that dominated last winter. That strain was responsible in January for one of the biggest spikes of COVID-19 seen in Boise’s wastewater in two years.
The CDC recommends that people age 6 months and older get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
“Given waning immunity of the population from previous exposure to the virus and from prior vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine to provide better protection against currently circulating variants,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
The updated vaccines should be available within days, according to a report Thursday from NBC News. A phone call and email to the FDA late Friday seeking more information were not immediately answered.
Appointments for the updated COVID-19 vaccines start Sept. 6 at Walgreens, though customers can schedule those visits now. A Rite Aid store in Boise showed no available COVID-19 vaccine options as of Friday afternoon. Walmart’s website said the vaccine isn’t available yet. Albertsons said it will be available this fall, and to check back soon for more information.
The vaccines are no longer subsidized by the federal government, but most insurance plans cover them.
All four of those chains are already offering flu and RSV shots.
What if you don’t want to make two trips for your shots? The CDC says it’s safe to receive the COVID-19 and flu vaccines during the same visit.
Unlike the flu and RSV, which tend to peak in the fall and winter and circulate at lower levels in the summer, COVID-19 has no distinct season, according to the CDC. Data from the last four years show that COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths occur in every season and peak in the winter and summer.
Dr. David Pate, the former CEO of St. Luke’s Health System in Idaho, previously told the Statesman that COVID-19’s ability to sustain relatively constant transmission year-round for four years is “unprecedented.”
While COVID-19 is not seasonal, the vaccines for it may start to be, according to Idaho Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Kathryn Turner.
“It’s not really a booster,” Turner told the Statesman in late July. “It’s becoming kind of like your flu shot — you know, you get it every year. We’re moving in that direction with regard to COVID-19 vaccines. I think we can expect to see an annual shot that is formulated specifically to what is circulating.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 4:00 AM.
