As the days grow shorter and cooler, it’s time to act against a seasonal threat: influenza. Protect yourself and others by getting a flu shot.
For many people, getting the flu may seem like no big deal—especially if they are relatively young and healthy. This is a common misconception. The flu claims thousands of lives each year and should be taken seriously. The best way to help keep this seasonal virus in check—and protect yourself as well as those around you—is to get vaccinated.
Need more convincing? Here’s why you should roll up your sleeve:
Flu (and COVID) are highly contagious
COVID is still circulating. Over the past year in the U.S., at least 380,000 people were hospitalized with COVID and at least 44,000 people died from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus that causes COVID is always changing. Meanwhile, people’s immunity to the disease declines over time. As fall and winter sets in, the virus could have more opportunity to spread.
COVID generally spreads even more quickly and easily than the flu. But they are transmitted in similar ways. These viruses can spread through direct contact, contaminated droplets, or through the air in aerosols—particles even smaller than respiratory droplets that may waft and accumulate.
Most people with flu are contagious for about one day before they even develop symptoms of the infection. Older kids and adults with the flu are most contagious after three to four days but may still pass the infection to others for about seven days.
By comparison, people with COVID may spread the infection from about two days before symptoms appear until about 10 days afterward. People with COVID may remain contagious for up to 10 days after testing positive even if their symptoms have resolved (or they never developed symptoms). Those with very severe COVID and those who are immunocompromised may remain infectious for up to 20 days or more.
The flu can be deadly, too.
Like COVID, a person’s chance of dying from the flu varies, depending on certain risk factors, like their age, health and whether they are vaccinated. Variables among countries, such as population demographics and the quality of health care, also influence estimates on mortality rate.
In most cases, people with the flu will recover within a couple of weeks. But some people—particularly older people, very young children, and those with underlying health issues—are more likely to develop potentially deadly complications such as pneumonia, inflammation of the heart, brain or muscle, sepsis or organ failure.
Safe and effective vaccines are available
There are vaccines available to help protect against the flu, as well as COVID and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which also tends to spread in the fall and winter months.
In seasons when the vaccine is well-matched to most circulating influenza viruses, getting a flu shot may decrease the risk of needing medical care for the flu by 40 percent to 60 percent.
It’s true: sometimes people who get the flu shot are still infected with the virus. This can happen due to certain factors, including a person’s unique biological characteristics, the flu viruses in circulation (and whether the flu vaccine is a close match to these predominant strains) as well as the type of flu vaccine used.
Studies show, however, that getting the flu vaccine can still help reduce the severity of the infection and help prevent flu-related complications. So, if you get the shot and still get the flu, it may not be as bad.
And if that’s not enough motivation to get vaccinated, consider this: getting immunized will also protect the more vulnerable people around you, including babies younger than 6 months old, older people, pregnant women, and those with chronic health conditions.
Other ways to protect yourself
Aside from getting vaccinated, there is a lot you can do to avoid exposure and reduce your risk of infection to both the flu, COVID, and other respiratory infections, including:
- Wear a face mask in crowded indoor spaces, particularly those with poor ventilation
- Practice physical distancing or stay at least 6 feet away from others
- Wash your hands well and often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Avoid touching any part of your face, including your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
- Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed infections
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Preventi... + 13
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID Data Tracker.” Accessed Nov 15, 2021.
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- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Interim Guidance on Ending Isolation and Precautions for Adults with COVID-19.” Mar 16, 2021.
- Johns Hopkins. “Coronavirus Resource Center. Mortality Analyses.” Sep 13, 2021.
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- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Case Investigation and Reporting.” Sep 10, 2021.
- Anthony S. Fauci, MD, H. Clifford Lane, MD, and Robert R. Redfield, MD “Covid-19 — Navigating the Uncharted.” New England Journal of Medicine. Feb 2020.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Flu Symptoms & Complications.”
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- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Similarities and Differences between Flu and COVID-19."
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID-19 Pandemic Planning Scenarios.” Sept 10, 2020.
