Flu Shots 2020

[Aerides]

I believe that the precautions most of us are taking to guard against Covid will naturally also guard against the flu, colds, etc., as well.

But just as I'd get a vaccine if I could for a cold or covid, I will still get my flu shot. Nothing is 100%, but lots of 25%'s add up. A flu shot is basically free, quick and painless, and I can get it done at the pharmacy.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Talked to DM who just switched PCMs. She's provaccine and antineedle. Good combo. Anywho shes 66 and new doc has her on tap for 2 pneuomonias, flu, hep b, shingrux 1. Would be her first year with the sr flu shot vs regular. Anyone had reactions to it? Should I attempt to sway her toward regular flu? She's allergic to shrllfish, and a gout medicine. She's caregiver for DF age 87

 

[Car-Guy]

I believe that the precautions most of us are taking to guard against Covid will naturally also guard against the flu, colds, etc., as well.

+1

But just as I'd get a vaccine if I could for a cold or covid, I will still get my flu shot. Nothing is 100%, but lots of 25%'s add up.

I get the annual flu shots too realizing that it may only be ~50% effective some years. "Now" I also wear a mask whenever I'm in public and use hand sanitizers frequently.... I know even with all that it's not 100% but I feel a lot more comfortable going about "and" resuming my near normal daily activities. I'm still not comfortable with attending large or crowded events but I never liked crowds anyway

 

[Winemaker]

I think I am big time in the minority here so PLEASE take this with a grain of salt.

No flu shot for me. No fear of covid-19 death given the stats on mortality rate for an otherwise healthy 63 year old (better chance of death from an accident on the roads and I ain't stopping driving).

When does it get to the point where it just is not worth the worry?

Having said that, I follow all the rules (mask, sanitizing etc) because I respect those who feel differently and want no part of hurting others.

I just can't wait till I can go to a store again without feeling like a leper.

+10

 

[meleana]

I think I am big time in the minority here so PLEASE take this with a grain of salt.

No flu shot for me. No fear of covid-19 death given the stats on mortality rate for an otherwise healthy 63 year old (better chance of death from an accident on the roads and I ain't stopping driving).

When does it get to the point where it just is not worth the worry?

Having said that, I follow all the rules (mask, sanitizing etc) because I respect those who feel differently and want no part of hurting others.

I just can't wait till I can go to a store again without feeling like a leper.

Same with me.

 

[gailwinters]

I will definitely get a flu shot this year, probably around Oct. 1.

I was still living with my parents when the “Hong Kong” flu hit. We all got it: dad first, then mom, then me. By the time I got it, my dad could just barely get around enough to get my mom and me some water and aspirin. We were all horribly sick and my mother developed bronchitis and suffered with it for months.

Last year, I got the high dose vaccine, but it isn’t as effective against the A strain and I got the flu in February. I wasn’t as sick as I was with earlier versions I had,
but it took over two weeks for me to feel back to normal, and that was with Xofluza.

 

[meleana]

Trying to understand your logic. You claim wearing a mask and social distancing is BS but if it did work I wouldn't need a flu shot so I'm not going to get one?

My logic is that I follow the COVID rules the so called experts implemented with the restrictions- for the most part. So they claim the mask and social distancing and neurotic hand washing work. So why are they stressing people to get flu shots if those practices protect from COVID?


Yeah- I am against mask mandates. I am against the restrictions. Against the whole thing.

But since they are in place and I have to abide by the rules when I go to a store or restaurant my chances of getting the flu should be pretty low and so should everyone else’s. Right? I am being sarcastic you see.

Honestly, I haven’t had the flu in like 20 years until this year when I Retired and moved. Maybe it was COVID I don’t know. My husband didn’t get it but he gets the flu shot. But he’s also type O blood.

I worked in health care going in and out of doctors offices and hospitals every single day for 13 years. Shaking doctors and nurses hands. Sitting in waiting rooms with patients. Touching the door knobs and counters. Using the bathrooms. I am sure I built up
an immunity. Too bad people are not allowed to do the same now and I am sure more and more might actually get sick from lots of other things besides COVID because they are not building immunity to anything now.

So yeah- maybe because of masks and distancing I might get the flu now as I am not building immunity. Don’t know. We’ll see.

See what I ‘m doing here?

 

[harllee]

Talked to DM who just switched PCMs. She's provaccine and antineedle. Good combo. Anywho shes 66 and new doc has her on tap for 2 pneuomonias, flu, hep b, shingrux 1. Would be her first year with the sr flu shot vs regular. Anyone had reactions to it? Should I attempt to sway her toward regular flu? She's allergic to shrllfish, and a gout medicine. She's caregiver for DF age 87

I am 69 and 4 years ago when I turned 65 I took the senior high dose flu vaccine. I had a pretty bad reaction to it--not nearly as bad as the flu-- but I had a 101 temp and felt bad enough to go to bed a couple of days. I reported this to my doctor and he advised that I take the regular flu shot from now on rather than the senior shot. In fact, he said his office had quit giving the senior shot because there were so many reactions.

On the other hand DH, age 70, and many friends take the senior flu shot every year with no problems.

 

[sengsational]

(better chance of death from an accident on the roads and I ain't stopping driving).

I was curious about this, so did some quick math.

US Mortality for 55 to 64 (acsh.org) 12,307 as of June 17.
Say we are roughly 1/10th of the way through the pandemic, so say we will eventually see that number go to 123,070. That group in the US is about 40 million, so I'm getting a 0.3% mortality from the expected duration. In any one year, highway mortality is about 0.03%. These are rough numbers and presumes no medical breakthroughs, but it's where we are today, with medical tech. So it's an order of magnitude different with these assumptions.

 

[harllee]

I was curious about this, so did some quick math.

US Mortality for 55 to 64 (acsh.org) 12,307 as of June 17.
Say we are roughly 1/10th of the way through the pandemic, so say we will eventually see that number go to 123,070. That group in the US is about 40 million, so I'm getting a 0.3% mortality from the expected duration. In any one year, highway mortality is about 0.03%. These are rough numbers and presumes no medical breakthroughs, but it's where we are today, with medical tech. So it's an order of magnitude different with these assumptions.

Thanks for this sensational, I have been seeing this comparison of deaths from the pandemic to auto accidents (who would compare an accident to a virus anyway) and knew the comparison had to be incorrect. Thanks for taking the time to do the math.

 

[MichaelB]

Mod note

Can we please continue without all the Op-Ed commentary / personal opinion on mandates, masks, etc. That is long behind us.

 

[Car-Guy]

I was curious about this, so did some quick math.

US Mortality for 55 to 64 (acsh.org) 12,307 as of June 17.
Say we are roughly 1/10th of the way through the pandemic, so say we will eventually see that number go to 123,070. That group in the US is about 40 million, so I'm getting a 0.3% mortality from the expected duration. In any one year, highway mortality is about 0.03%. These are rough numbers and presumes no medical breakthroughs, but it's where we are today, with medical tech. So it's an order of magnitude different with these assumptions.

At this point I guess your "assumptions" are as good as any. But if we are only 1/10th of the way through this pandemic, as in your assumption, that would extrapolate to the pandemic lasting at least 5 years on it's own. I guess if you don't consider any medical breakthroughs or vaccines, etc etc, it's possible... Even the Spanish flu epidemic didn't last half that amount of time. But the world has changed a lot so that's maybe both good and bad....

 

[TrvlBug]

I had what I call the "real flu" in my late 20s or early 30s. Never again. I always get the flu shot when it becomes available in August as we're off traveling in early Sept, usually internationally.

DH and I decided to wait until mid-late Oct this year, however, I never thought of getting 2 flu shots during the season. This year we will do what some other posters suggested, get the flu shot now and depending on how bad the season is here, get another one early next year. As Covid rates are falling in our area, I feel more comfortable getting my shots now rather than later. Will also get the other pneumonia shot as well as Shingrix.

DH gets the more potent flu shot and has never had any reactions other than a sore arm. I am eligible for the more potent one this year, however have some severe allergies, so may stick to the usual.

 

[sengsational]

At this point I guess your "assumptions" are as good as any. But if we are only 1/10th of the way through this pandemic, as in your assumption, that would extrapolate to the pandemic lasting at least 5 years on it's own. I guess if you don't consider any medical breakthroughs or vaccines, etc etc, it's possible... Even the Spanish flu epidemic didn't last half that amount of time. But the world has changed a lot so that's maybe both good and bad....

That's why I was explicit with my assumptions....so you could do your own quick math to alter the result. The 1/10th came from two wild guesses...that 5% of the population has "had it" and that if 50% "have had it", the virus peters-out. I'm not trying to convince anybody any of these assumptions are true. It's more about showing how loosey-goosey the numbers are. I wonder if some of the more "logic challenged" might go with the deaths to date (i.e. before the pandemic has run it's course) to do their calculations? I should add that I would consider using the total deaths to date as "logical" IF we magically and immediately vaccinated half the population of the world with an effective vaccine.

 

[Car-Guy]

That's why I was explicit with my assumptions....so you could do your own quick math to alter the result. The 1/10th came from two wild guesses...that 5% of the population has "had it" and that if 50% "have had it", the virus peters-out. I'm not trying to convince anybody any of these assumptions are true. It's more about showing how loosey-goosey the numbers are. I wonder if some of the more "logic challenged" might go with the deaths to date (i.e. before the pandemic has run it's course) to do their calculations? I should add that I would consider using the total deaths to date as "logical" IF we magically and immediately vaccinated half the population of the world with an effective vaccine.

There's an old saying that I could use about "assumptions", but I won't go there. And my assumptions aren't any better.... Personally I "hope" that with all the recent mitigation efforts and medical advances we have made in the past 100 years will pay off, sooner rather than later.

 

[Farknight]

Flu Last Year

I get a flu shot annually and never had the flu until last year (pre-pandemic) when I was tested and had Influenza Type A. The illness was very mild, a slight cough with a bit of fever for a few days tops. I have had far worse "colds." I also received Tamilflu at the Urgent Care and I assume that helped.

I intend to rinse and repeat this year as I would not want to risk the flu and COVID-19 simultaneously if that is even possible. I also hope following CDC guidelines as to masking, distancing, hand washing and disinfection will be equally effective against the flu virus as it is the COVID.

 

[harllee]

I get a flu shot annually and never had the flu until last year (pre-pandemic) when I was tested and had Influenza Type A. The illness was very mild, a slight cough with a bit of fever for a few days tops. I have had far worse "colds." I also received Tamilflu at the Urgent Care and I assume that helped.

I intend to rinse and repeat this year as I would not want to risk the flu and COVID-19 simultaneously if that is even possible. I also hope following CDC guidelines as to masking, distancing, hand washing and disinfection will be equally effective against the flu virus as it is the COVID.

Farknight, did you have any trouble taking Tamiflu? A couple of years ago when I had a bad case of the flu I took Tamiflu and got very sick on my stomach (very nauseated, could not keep any food or liquids down). I quit the Tamiflu after one day and my stomach was immediately better.

 

[Farknight]

Farknight, did you have any trouble taking Tamiflu? A couple of years ago when I had a bad case of the flu I took Tamiflu and got very sick on my stomach (very nauseated, could not keep any food or liquids down). I quit the Tamiflu after one day and my stomach was immediately better.

No, I took it that night and as described and basically had no issues. While not being at all flippant I was amazed at how mild that cklincially proved flu was last year. I assume a combination of a vaccination in late September and prompt Tamiflu within 48 hours of my first symptoms were the primary reasons. Perhaps Tamiflu is less efficacious and has more reactions the later it is received in a flu infection?

 

[RetMD21]

A couple of informative articles:

Thanks good to have facts

 

[Chuckanut]

I got the senior shot. Generally, I do well with various immunizations. The only one that left me a bit wonky for a day was the Shingrex shingles vaccine. It never was bad enough to keep me in bed, and perhaps was more in my head since I had read a lot about people who had strong reactions to it.

If the senior shot hits me hard, I'll be sure to post it.

 

[Still_Waters_43]

Why not!

To me it's a question of why not. For years I would get a bad dose of flu at least once a year. Since taking the flu shot I get a really mild dose once every few years. Oh, and I been getting the heavy duty dose since I was eligible.

Also, I don't know if there is any evidence for this, but my theory is, that if you're already sick with the regular flu then you would be more prone to get worse dose of Covid19 if you came in contact with it.

 

[mickeyd]

Our CCRC has arranged for a local pharmacy to come here and vaccinate us all with flu shot. No mus, no fus.

 

[braumeister]

Our CCRC has arranged for a local pharmacy to come here and vaccinate us all with flu shot. No mus, no fus.

Make sure they wipe the needle off between groups of people.

 

[calmloki]

Scheduled for my second Shingrex shot on Tuesday - was considering getting the flu shot at the same time. The first Shingrex shot left me with a somewhat sore arm, but I've had worse reactions. Wondering if they will even do both shots at once or if that is contraindicated. Also debating getting both in one arm or one in each, which could really mess up sleeping on my side. Thoughts?

 

[harllee]

Scheduled for my second Shingrex shot on Tuesday - was considering getting the flu shot at the same time. The first Shingrex shot left me with a somewhat sore arm, but I've had worse reactions. Wondering if they will even do both shots at once or if that is contraindicated. Also debating getting both in one arm or one in each, which could really mess up sleeping on my side. Thoughts?

Yikes! getting both shingrix and flu shot at the same time--don't think I would have the nerve to do that. Both shots made my arm very sore--might be double soreness with both shots at the same time. Who would be giving you the shots?--I would definitely ask the medical person their opinion. My doctor says to wait until at least October 1 to get the flu shot so it will last for the entire flu season. So if it were me I would get Shingrix now and wait a few weeks on the flu shot.