Get Your Flu Vaccine Before Halloween: New Jersey Vaccine Finder · Centers For Disease Control · The Covid/Flu “Twin-Demic” · Flu vs. Covid Symptoms
Source: CentralJersey.com
Flu season generally begins in the fall and runs into spring, peaking between December and February. It takes about two weeks for your body to build up antibodies to protect you from the flu, so now is a good time to get the vaccine.
Getting a flu shot has always been an important health precaution, but today, with coronavirus — more commonly known as COVID-19 — continuing to spread throughout the country and the world, it is even more critical.
The most common form of the vaccine is a standard-dose flu shot, which is typically administered with a needle into the muscle in your arm. Older adults may receive a high-dose flu shot, which contains four times the vaccine antigen that helps build up the protection of a better immune response against flu viruses.
It is important to note that the flu vaccine is not an active virus — you cannot get the flu from the vaccine, nor does it make you more susceptible to the coronavirus. Side effects of the vaccine are typically mild and may include soreness or redness at the site of the shot, low-grade fever, and aches.
You can protect against the flu – and COVID-19 – by taking these Centers For Disease Conrol-advised precautions: Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill; getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, managing your stress, drinking plenty of fluids, and eating nutritious food.
By Dr. Sean Naini, board-certified in internal medicine and a member of the medical staff at Penn Medicine Princeton Health (HCS). For more information, or to find a Princeton HCS physician, call 1-888-742-7496 or visit PrincetonHCS.org.