Scott Streble
Hennepin Healthcare Flu Shot
Time to roll up your sleeves: fall has arrived, bringing with it the official onset of the 2020-2021 flu season. What were previously considered classic signs of the common cold or flu—a sore throat, fever, sniffles—can now be symptoms of COVID-19. While the virus continues its indiscriminate spread, it’s more important than ever to be wary of the flu. An expert at Hennepin Healthcare busts the most common flu shot myths that just won’t die, and explains why getting the shot this year is your immune system’s best first line of defense.
1. “COVID-19 is a bigger deal”
While that holds some truth, it doesn’t make the flu any less consequential. According to Hennepin Healthcare Clinical Supervisor Nan Lomen, RN, there have been 12,000-61,000 deaths annually since 2010.
“You might be thinking, ‘The flu is not as deadly as smallpox or our current pandemic,’” says Lomen. “You would be right, but influenza and COVID-19 are illnesses that can cause severe illness and even death.”
Plus, no one wants to be among the first to be coinfected with both viruses. “No one really knows what it’s going to be like to get COVID-19 and the flu together,” Lomen says. “The symptoms are really similar and we have no data to know if you're going to get super sick, or less sick.”
"October is probably the perfect month to vaccinate. If the flu vaccine is available to you, it's not too early to get it." Nan Lomen, RN, Hennepin Healthcare
2. “But the flu shot makes me sick”
It takes up to two weeks for the flu vaccine to take full effect. If you get sick after your poke, chances are you were already exposed to the flu—or before the shot had a chance to effectively course through your immune system.
While some people do report side effects from the flu vaccine, like soreness around the injection site and low-grade fever, those reactions are much less severe than symptoms from the actual flu.
3. “It’s too early in the season to get one”
If you’re reading this, it’s the perfect time to get the flu shot. Lomen says it’s good to get vaccinated as early as September, and hopes to get everyone protected against the flu by the end of October.
"October is probably the perfect month to vaccinate," Lome says. "If the flu vaccine is available to you, it's not too early to get it."
If you get your flu shot now, you’ll be protected through peak season, which usually hits between December and February.
4. “I’m pregnant and worried about potential side effects”
There are enough things to worry about when you’re pregnant, but the flu doesn’t need to be one of them. In fact, it’s actually more important for you to get the flu shot during this time.
“When a woman gets pregnant, it changes their immune system,” Lomen says. “So when you get exposed to the flu, you’re more prone to complications from the flu.”
Plus, it’s much more dangerous for baby if mom gets the flu, she says. After the little bundle of joy arrives, anyone else who wants to see baby—listen up, grandparents!—should get their flu shot, too. It’ll take a few months for the little one’s immune system to develop.
5. “I’m healthy, I don’t need a flu shot”
Being healthy today doesn’t mean you’ll be healthy tomorrow. Lomen says that up to 20 percent of adults catch the flu each year.
And feeling “normal” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re flu-free either. “Both influenza (and COVID-19) can be transmitted to others–even from a symptom-free person,” says Lomen.
If not for yourself, get your flu shot for those around you who might not be able to fight the flu off as easily.
Lomen is expecting a high demand of flu shots this year, estimating the distribution of 60,000 to 70,000 shots throughout worksites and schools. She says there’s no need to worry about availability because manufacturers have made 10 to 12 million more doses.
“There should be no shortage for anybody,” Lomen says. “People are wanting their flu shots and they're understanding that it's a really good thing to do for themselves, their family, and their community to help keep us all healthy.”
This year, the quadrivalent vaccine protects against four different flu strains: two influenza A strains, and two influenza B strains. For better protection, adults 65+ can now receive the high dose vaccine which contains four times the antigens against the flu.
