Another familiar respiratory virus is back: influenza (otherwise known as the flu). Influenza circulated at historic lows last year. In fact, flu was the lowest it’s been since 1996 (when we first stated tracking the flu), presumably due to a change in social behaviors associated with the pandemic (
What is your opinion about the optimal timing of a flu vaccination? I have read in reliable-sounding places that the protective effect of a flu vaccination declines by about 10% per month. If that's true, isn't the best approach to wait until flu levels begin to rise in your area and then go get the shot? Health professionals in the press began pushing the public to get the shot around the beginning of Sept. But in most of the US there was almost no flu around at point. I watched the CDC info about flu activity for my state, and once it started creeping up towards the top of the green "minimal" category, in early December I went for a flu shot. Is this strategy OK? I was thinking that maybe the reason health professionals were hectoring us in Sept. to get a flu shot was that they figured it would take 2 or 3 months of hectoring to get the public to go get the shot.
Yeah, I trust Dr. J overall, but am skeptical about this. Here's another article about flu vaccine's waning effectiveness, quoting an epidemiologist in the CDC's Influenza division:
Are there any different types of flu vaccines in the works?
I typically end up skipping as I have a verified allergy to an ingredient in the vaccine, try several pharmacies, and can’t find it without. I was pleased to not have this issue with my COVID vaccination. I remember reading that Moderna was working on a combo vaccine but wonder if it would then have this same drawback.
Meanwhile, I have lots of very fashionable masks that I am happy to wear indoors, even though in Florida, it seems like most customers don't now. Only the workers. Sad.
Given that there do seem to be some reasonable grounds for worrying that vaccine effectiveness starts declining earlier than that, isn't it a safer strategy to watch CDC info about flu levels in one's state, and not get the shot until they begin creeping up?
Given that last year the flu season was pretty much nonexistent, what did they use to come up with the flu vaccine this year? Wouldn't that affect the efficacy of the shot?
What is your opinion about the optimal timing of a flu vaccination? I have read in reliable-sounding places that the protective effect of a flu vaccination declines by about 10% per month. If that's true, isn't the best approach to wait until flu levels begin to rise in your area and then go get the shot? Health professionals in the press began pushing the public to get the shot around the beginning of Sept. But in most of the US there was almost no flu around at point. I watched the CDC info about flu activity for my state, and once it started creeping up towards the top of the green "minimal" category, in early December I went for a flu shot. Is this strategy OK? I was thinking that maybe the reason health professionals were hectoring us in Sept. to get a flu shot was that they figured it would take 2 or 3 months of hectoring to get the public to go get the shot.
Her reply to a similar post: waning depends on age, but for everyone it doesn’t start waning until about 6 months after vaccination
What got me thinking about this question was articles like this one:
https://www.science.org/content/article/how-long-do-vaccines-last-surprising-answers-may-help-protect-people-longer
Oh I will look at it. Was that in the batch of replies to this post, or somewhere else?
5th post below
Yeah, I trust Dr. J overall, but am skeptical about this. Here's another article about flu vaccine's waning effectiveness, quoting an epidemiologist in the CDC's Influenza division:
https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20210209/flu-vaccine-effectiveness-declines-around-10-per-month-following-shot
Thank you for sharing
Are there any different types of flu vaccines in the works?
I typically end up skipping as I have a verified allergy to an ingredient in the vaccine, try several pharmacies, and can’t find it without. I was pleased to not have this issue with my COVID vaccination. I remember reading that Moderna was working on a combo vaccine but wonder if it would then have this same drawback.
Meanwhile, I have lots of very fashionable masks that I am happy to wear indoors, even though in Florida, it seems like most customers don't now. Only the workers. Sad.
lots of them....
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41573-021-00176-7
This is good news and I hope these can be delivered in a way without including common allergens.
Excellent articles, Guys. I miss my work in a Microbiology Lab. You're doing a great job.
Question: will a flu vaccine from October 2021 cover a flu surge as omicron recedes?
yes! waning depends on age, but for everyone it doesn’t start waning until about 6 months after vaccination
Not to be argumentative, but what about:
https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20210209/flu-vaccine-effectiveness-declines-around-10-per-month-following-shot
https://www.science.org/content/article/how-long-do-vaccines-last-surprising-answers-may-help-protect-people-longer
Given that there do seem to be some reasonable grounds for worrying that vaccine effectiveness starts declining earlier than that, isn't it a safer strategy to watch CDC info about flu levels in one's state, and not get the shot until they begin creeping up?
Given that last year the flu season was pretty much nonexistent, what did they use to come up with the flu vaccine this year? Wouldn't that affect the efficacy of the shot?
Wow, Everyone doesn’t report positive flu’s to their state DPH?
Error: "Para leer la versión en inglés, pulse aquí." I know you are too busy to check every little thing but thought you'd want to fix this one. : )
Do you know if the current flu vaccine was formulated towards the H3N2 strain?
Thank you for discouraging the use of the word "flurona". I cringed the first time I heard it and really hope it does not catch on.
I know me too. The media enjoys it because the anxiety they ignite in people.