Infectious Diseases

Three reasons: 1. Influenza viruses mutate over time, 2. the virus strains circulating can vary year to year, and 3. our immunity wanes over time. That’s why the flu vaccine formula needs to be updated yearly, and we need to get a flu shot each season to be well-protected. Influenza viruses have proteins on their surface: hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Read more…

People who are at least 65 years old can get a flu shot specially developed for their age group, and it offers better protection from the flu. Influenza vaccines have been around for nearly 80 years, and have undergone a number of changes during that long history. One of the more recent changes is the emergence Read more…

A: Yes. The flu shot covers FOUR strains – you don’t want to catch it again! TL;DR: It’s hard to know which flu strain you got or which one will be dominant in the next few months. Go ahead and get that shot even if you had confirmed or suspected influenza. The current flu vaccine Read more…

In general, you can count on 6 months of meaningful protection starting two weeks after you get your annual flu vaccine. Protection may wane earlier in older adults. Getting vaccinated in advance of flu season’s start ensures that you have good coverage when the season begins, and in most adults, your protection will stick around Read more…

Everyone can benefit from a boost in COVID protection before the winter respiratory virus season. Here are just a few reasons why you should roll up your sleeve for the updated COVID shot. COVID isn’t gone. We are in a MUCH better place than we were for the past three winters, thanks to accumulated immunity Read more…

One in three people have some pain or redness at the injection site following a flu shot. Around one in five has a more systemic reaction, such as fever, headache, or tiredness. This year’s flu vaccines cover four strains of influenza. Most people receive an injectable vaccine, although a nasal mist is also available for people ages 2 Read more…

Yes. Annual flu vaccines prevent hundreds of thousands of cases of flu and save thousands of lives every year. The answer to the question “how well do they work” isn’t black and white because it changes from year to year, and even sometimes within a season. But even in a year when the flu vaccine Read more…

A: There are quite a few new vaccines coming – Lyme, group B strep, Epstein Barr, to name a few. Read on for more! COVID vaccines were developed in record time, and the infectious disease community breathed a collective sigh of relief upon the approval and introduction of a new vaccine for RSV, which had Read more…

I got my new COVID vax and my flu shot at the same time because it was the easiest way for me to get both. This week, I got my latest COVID vax and my flu shot at the same time because it was the easiest way for me to get both done at one Read more…

❓What if I’ve had a recent COVID-19 infection? When should I get my updated COVID vaccine? Hi, I’m Nerdy Girl Chana (Fueled by Science), and I wanted to talk to you about timing your COVID shot 💉this fall because we’ve gotten a lot of questions about this. One of the common questions is “What if Read more…

A: Getting a flu vaccination by the end of October is a great way to protect yourself. Although it is available as early as July, getting a vaccine in September or October helps protect you for the part of flu season that typically has the highest rates of infections. ❓🤔 When is flu season? Seasonal Read more…