For the first time since 2020, more people are dying from the flu than from COVID--and cases are high again
If you got your flu shot early in the fall, protection wanes after about 6 months and you may be susceptible again--and this month's cases are unusually high.
While pharmacies start advertising flu shots in early September, protection wanes after about six months, leaving many vulnerable for February, which is often a high flu month. Optimal time to protect for the holidays and through February is to get a flu shot mid- to late-October.
More than 48,000 people in the U.S. were admitted to hospitals with influenza during the week that ended on February 1. That’s the highest level since the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009. Many who test positive for the flu are testing positive for another virus simultaneously, overwhelming immune systems. Read more, including how to protect yourself.
Yeah, I never understood why I was seeing flu shots advertised here in August. Many people didn't get the flu shot this year and I've heard from a credible source that the ones who ended up in the hospitals were the ones who didn't get the flu shot including children. It may not have done as good of job this year protecting people from catching it but it kept people out of the hospital it seems. We had a case of confirmed flu in our house but no hospital visits and no one else got it (we all had appropriately timed shots).
Respiratory medicine is extremely hard to get these days because of this uptick (including Tamiflu) so if you have asthma plan ahead and get everything in place early each year. We're still waiting for nebulizer treatment and it's been WEEKS!