Receiving your annual flu shot is important no matter what. Not only will it help keep you healthy, but it can keep others safe around you. A flu show is even more crucial, with COVID-19 and the Delta variant at the top of everyone’s minds. Patients should also receive their COVID vaccine to help keep hospitalizations down and patients safe. Learn more about the various reasons to receive your flu shot during COVID. Receive both your COVID vaccine and your flu shot today at AFC Urgent Care Hillsdale.
Reasons to Get Your Flu Shot
It keeps symptoms at bay
On the chance that you still become sick after receiving your flu shot, the severity of symptoms will be less severe. By receiving a vaccine, the number of deaths goes down, as well as hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and the number of days spent in the hospital. The CDC found in 2018 that vaccinated patients were 59% less likely to be admitted to the ICU than non-vaccinated patients.
The flu shot is not 100% at preventing the flu, but it can help keep you safe and avoid time spent in the hospital. With the Delta variant, it’s especially crucial to keep hospitalizations down during flu season.
It protects others who are vulnerable
Certain groups are more susceptible to complications due to the flu. This includes the elderly, infants, and those with other medical conditions such as asthma, kidney disease, diabetes, or heart disease. Those with COPD are less likely to need hospitalization if they become sick after getting vaccinated.
Those who are at high risk of complications from the flu also seem to be at increased risk for COVID-19 since many of the symptoms are similar. It’s important to receive your vaccinations as soon as they are available to you.
It can help protect pregnant women
Pregnant women are less likely to suffer from flu-related respiratory infections, as well as lowering the risk of hospitalization by 40% if they are vaccinated. Infants are also not able to receive their flu shots until they’re six months old. If the mother gets their flu shot before the baby is born, this can help protect the infant for several months.
It can help protect you from getting sick at all
The flu shot helps prevent millions of Americans from getting sick throughout flu season. In the 2019-2020 flu season, the flu vaccine prevented an estimated 7.5 million illnesses, 3.7 medical visits related to the flu, over 100,000 hospitalizations, and 6,300 flu-related deaths. Getting a flu vaccine will not only protect yourself, but it can also protect those around you as the world still battles the uncertainty of COVID.
