Why is it important to get the flu vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic
We’re still living in COVID-19. It has not gone away completely and we still need to be careful. Schools have just begun and while some have delays, this is the perfect opportunity to get the flu vaccine because kids are the most common spreaders of the flu. If they can spread the flu, they could also come home and spread COVID-19 as well. In addition to this, people are still traveling so there is a risk for transmission for COVID-19 and it’s other variants. So, why get the flu vaccine during the pandemic? According to The CDC, it is possible to get both COVID-19 and the flu at the same time. If you have COVID-19, why add the flu on top of that? It’s a no brainer. Get flu vaccinated this season.What’s new about the 2021 flu vaccines and when should I get mine?
Flu vaccines are made months in advance to combat possible strains during the flu season. As scientists and researchers planned ahead they made some new updates to the flu vaccines to better prepare for the flu season this year. Here is the updated list from the CDC:- The egg-based H1N1 vaccine component was updated from an A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus to an A/Guangdong-Maonan/SWL1536/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus.
- The cell- or recombinant-based H1N1 vaccine component was updated from an A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus to an A/Hawaii/70/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus.
- The egg-based H3N2 vaccine component was updated from an A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2)-like virus to an A/Hong Kong/2671/2019 (H3N2)-like virus.
- The cell- or recombinant-based H3N2 vaccine component was updated from an A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2)-like virus to an A/Hong Kong/45/2019 (H3N2)-like virus.
- The B/Victoria lineage vaccine component was updated from a B/Colorado/06/2017 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus to a B/Washington/02/2019 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.
- The B/Yamagata lineage vaccine component was not updated.
