Now's the perfect time for your flu and COVID shots, according to doctors. Here's why.
If you still haven't gotten your COVID or flu shot, don't fret – experts say it's the perfect time to get vaccinated before the holidays are in full swing.
"It's not too late, and you can get them both at the same time, according to the CDC," CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook said on "CBS Mornings Plus" recently.
Why now?
"It takes a couple of weeks for them to kick in," LaPook said. "So go ahead and get them."
Flu season typically starts in December and peaks in February, so the "optimal time" to get vaccinated is heading into the season, Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, echoed on "CBS Mornings" recently.
The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated for influenza every flu season.
Those among the most at risk for flu complications include:
- Children — "in particular, kids under the age of 5 are at risk," Gounder said.
- Adults 65 and older
- Pregnant women — "a group that's often forgotten about," Gounder said.
- People with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma
- People who are immunocompromised
During the 2023-24 flu season, the CDC reported nearly 200 children died, most of whom were eligible for a vaccine but did not receive one.
"Unfortunately, coming out of the COVID pandemic, we have seen a rise in vaccine skepticism, people less willing to get vaccinated, and as we've seen with the pediatric flu vaccines, that has led to increased hospitalizations as well as, unfortunately, some deaths," Gounder said.
In a recent statement from the CDC, officials reminded the public that data "continues to confirm the importance of vaccination."
"Receiving recommended 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines can restore and enhance protection against the virus variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States," the statement added.
The CDC also said the COVID-19 vaccine can help reduce the chances of suffering the effects of long COVID.
RSV and other vaccines to consider
Flu and COVID aren't the only vaccines available for you to protect yourself this season.
Everyone older than 75 is eligible for the RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, vaccine. If you're at high risk for a bad outcome, you can also get vaccinated from age 60 to 75.
The pneumonia vaccine is also available for even more people this year after the CDC lowered the recommended age from 65 to 50 last month.
Dr. Mallika Marshall told CBS News Boston that shift is important.
"The pneumonia vaccine actually protects people against pneumococcus, which is a bacterium that commonly causes pneumonia and meningitis and blood infections," she said.