GREENSBORO, N.C. — Health professionals in the Triad are seeing patients asking to get the COVID-19 vaccine or booster along with their flu shot this season as concern continues over both illnesses.
"Many people are coming for the booster shot for COVID vaccines," said Clement Edhodaghe, the owner of Adler Pharmacy in Greensboro. "So (...) most times, they want both (the COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine). "So you give one on the right arm and one on the left arm."
Edhodaghe said they are seeing lots of business for people wanting both the influenza vaccine and a COVID-19 shot or boosters.
"You want to protect your family members so it's just an opportunity for them to get two at the same time," said Edhodaghe.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that the flu vaccine is 40% to 60% effective among the overall population during seasons when the virus is well matched to those that were used to make the flu vaccine. However, you can not get the flu virus from the vaccine.
“Your body is exposed to the vaccine and the vaccine has pieces in it that look like the infection and so because of that, your body mounts an immune response so that immune response might feel a little bit like the flu," said Dr. Jeffrey Hatcher, the Chief Medical Officer for Cone Health and an infectious disease physician.
Medical experts say you can get both shots at the same time and getting the flu vaccine can prevent illness, reduce the severity of illness and also prevent hospitalization.
“It’s important to get your flu shot every year because we know that viruses, like all other life forms, evolve and change in response to their surroundings," said Chelle Jeffery, a physician assistant with Novant Health. "So as we vaccinate against some strains, we see other strains that dominate in our communities and then we may go back to the previous strain again. The flu vaccines are manufactured every year based on our best estimate on what we anticipate seeing the following season so it’s important you get your vaccine every year.”
Jeffery said they anticipate more flu virus in the community because people are not following all of the COVID protocols that have been consistent during the pandemic.
"This year we expect to see more flu in our communities than we did last year because last year we were distancing and wearing masks and avoiding each other and washing our hands better so we didn’t see much flu at all," said Jeffery. “This year, people are doing more, we are being more social, we are going back out into the world and we’re not always wearing our masks."
Dr. Hatcher said the end of October is the best time to get the flu vaccine. It allows enough time for your body to mount an immune response as the flu virus typically circulates around January each year.
The CDC estimates 20,000 people in the U.S. died from the flu in the 2019-2020 season, the lowest number since 2011-2012. The 2020-2021 season, according to the CDC had usually low flu activity. From September 28, 2020–May 22, 2021 in the U.S, 1,675 (0.2%) of 818,939 of those tested by U.S. clinical laboratories were positive for flu.
“We see deaths every year from influenza virus," said Jeffery. "It is most concerning for people who have other underlying health conditions and our youngest people, but it can infect any of us and any of us can have a severe bout of the flu. It can require hospitalization and can even cause death.”