This season’s flu vaccine is now available, and October is the perfect time to get it.
Victoria Nicolson with Northern Nevada Public Health said that there’s a new flu vaccine every year for two reasons.
One is that the efficacy wanes over the year. Another is that every year, the strains of flu are slightly different, and the vaccine is updated to protect against the most prevalent ones.
Nicolson said that the biggest benefit of the flu vaccine is that it lessens the severity of the illness.
“Flu can be as serious as a cough, a sneeze, or just not feeling well, all the way up to being hospitalized to death,” she said. “That is always the worst case scenario, is death.”
The vaccine makes the worst outcomes far less likely.
Nicolson said that you can get this year’s flu vaccine at Northern Nevada Public Health’s clinic, one of their vaccination events, your pharmacy or from your healthcare provider. She recommends getting it during October or two weeks before travelling for the holidays for the best protection. It’s most effective about two weeks after it’s first administered.
