MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A top health official warns that this could be the “worst case scenario” when it comes to public health in the US
Centers for Disease Control Chief Robert Redfield says there are major concerns about what could happen if flu season coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s why experts are pushing the flu vaccine extra hard this year. So, when is the best time to get the flu? Good question.
“We want to get it from late September to late October,” said Drs. James Smith, a resident of family medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends it in late October. The flu season generally runs from October to May, but does not come at all until January or February.
Given that it takes about two weeks for the antibodies to build up in a person’s immune system, that is the balance between getting the shot too early and too late in the season.
“We want to make sure you have it late enough that you can continue all season,” Smith said.
The flu vaccine timing manual has not changed this year due to COVID-19, but the sense of urgency among public health officials for influenza influences has increased this year.
“If there’s one thing we can all do – in addition to the importance of wearing a mask, social distance, hand washing and being smart about meetings – to finally prepare ourselves for the fall, it’s the vaccine for flu. get, “Redfield told CBS Morning last week.
Experts are raising concerns not only about the stress of hospital capacity, but about the unknown of COVID-19 during the flu season.
‘We do not know what it would be like to have both. We’re still learning about COVID, “Smith said.” We also don’t know how having the flu affects your immunity. “
In the flu season 2018-2019, 53% of Minnesotans were vaccinated for flu. Providers are worried that people may not feel comfortable at a clinic or a doctor’s office getting the shot. Therefore, several clinics in Minnesota will offer drive-through vaccination sites. Many of those locations will be operational by early September.
And, if a person does not receive the vaccination at the end of October, Smith says it’s still good to get it later in the season.
“We always recommend that you get it,” he says. “Always, get the fax.”
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