12 questions for our infectious disease expert about flu, COVID-19 and RSV.
What will flu and COVID-19 season look like this year? Not too good and not too bad, according to Jessie Leyse, MD, MPH, an infectious disease, internal medicine and pediatric physician at Central Vermont Medical Center.
“It seems like it'll probably be a pretty ‘normal’ flu season this year — not too early and not too severe,” Dr. Leyse says.
COVID-19 cases are already on the rise in many places across the country, but fortunately the vaccines approved in August target the latest Omicron variants.
Expert Q+A: Vaccinations, COVID-19 and Flu
Here Dr. Leyse responds to the most common questions about the new vaccines.
Q: Is there a combo flu-COVID-19 vaccine?
A: Not this year. They’re still two separate shots. But they can be administered at the same time.
Q: Who should get the COVID-19 vaccine?
A: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get the new vaccine.
Q: Is fall a good time to get vaccinated for flu?
A: The CDC says the ideal time is September and October, before we start seeing flu cases. It takes up to two weeks for your body to develop flu antibodies, so once you get the shot, it's another couple weeks before you're actually protected. The vast majority of cases happen December to February or March, so it's best to be protected during that peak.
Q: Could someone argue, “Well, I got my flu shot last year and this is sort of a typical year, so I don't need my shot?”
A: The ingredients in the flu vaccine change every year. It's updated to better match whatever strains are circulating, which is why people should get it every year.
Q: Can you get the flu from the vaccine?
A: When people say the flu shot gave them the flu, usually it's because they’ve gotten sick within that two-week window, when they haven't developed immunity yet, and were exposed to somebody who had the flu. It's not that the flu shot gave it to them.
Q: When should infants get their first flu shot?
A: At 6 months. The first vaccine is two doses to get immunity where it needs to be.
Q: Is it more important to get vaccinated if you're immunocompromised?
A: Yes, definitely. If you're immunocompromised, you're at higher risk for severe flu if you get infected.
In the southern hemisphere, even healthy kids are getting hospitalized, so everybody should get vaccinated. Think about getting vaccinated a little earlier if you're immunocompromised, just to make sure your body has time to make those antibodies before flu arrives.
Q: They say if you're vaccinated for COVID-19, your symptoms aren't as severe. If you get a flu shot, is that the same case?
A: The point of the flu shot isn't to keep you from getting the flu, it's to keep you from dying from flu. So you may still get the flu, but it'll probably be much, much milder than if you hadn't had a flu shot.
Q: What side effects can you expect after a flu shot?
A: For a couple of days after, you might have some soreness, maybe feel a little fatigued, maybe have a low-grade fever, but it should be short-lived.
Q: Can people with egg allergies get the vaccine?
A: Yes. It’s no longer a contraindication (reason you can’t get the vaccine), whereas in the past it was. Now we have lots of different types of flu vaccines and basically anybody can get a flu shot.
Q: Are there other illnesses — like RSV — that we should be protecting against?
A: We're keeping an eye on avian influenza, but for the public, it's not really anything to worry about. It's mostly been in dairy cows, some poultry and it has popped up in a few cases of humans who work directly with those animals. But there hasn't been any human-to-human spread.
As for RSV, the recommendations are for everyone over 75 years of age to get a single RSV vaccine. You don’t need one every year like flu/COVID shots. Adults age 60 to 74 should talk to their doctor about whether it makes sense to get an RSV vaccine. Some people in that age group should get it if they are at increased risk.
Q: How else can we protect ourselves?
A: If you're sick, stay home, wash your hands, and if you need to go out, wear a mask — all the things we started doing really well during COVID. Just remember what we learned.
