Thinking about getting a flu shot but worried that you’ve waited too long? Don’t fret; your timing is perfect, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation experts say.
That goes for getting a Covid-19 booster, too.
“Normally by this point of flu season we’ve seen at least an initial surge,” said OMRF physician-scientist Hal Scofield, M.D. “And this year, right on track, we began seeing it last week, both in Oklahoma and nationally.”
Indeed, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Dec. 6 that flu cases were growing in 37 states, including Oklahoma. That increase tracks immunologists’ expectations, given the recent flu season in other parts of the world.
Influenza typically hits the Southern Hemisphere several months before the first cases appear in America, so Australia offers the best indicator of an approaching flu season’s severity. This year, the country had its worst outbreak since 2019.
In America, December is second behind February for the most common month of peak flu activity, according to historical data covering the past 42 flu seasons. That doesn’t bode well, as the number of American adults with a recent flu shot is at its lowest since at least 2019, according to the CDC.
The picture regarding Covid-19 is mixed. The good news is that Covid cases had trended downward, both in Oklahoma and nationally, following a summer spike in confirmed cases and related emergency room visits. The bad news is that through late November, only 12% of Oklahoma adults, and 20% of adults nationwide, had received a recent Covid-19 booster.
“What that tells me is that collectively we’ve lost some fear of Covid-19 over the past couple of years,” Scofield said. “While Covid is no longer filling the intensive-care units, it can still lead to pneumonia and long-term effects in the lungs and other organs.”
There’s still time to obtain maximum protection from both Covid-19 and the flu, said OMRF immunologist Linda Thompson, Ph.D., who holds the Putnam City Schools Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research at OMRF. If you got your shots in October, you should still have sufficient protection, she said. While neither shot offers absolute immunity, both will lessen the symptoms if you contract either virus.
Flu and Covid symptoms both usually include a moderate to high fever, headache, chills or sweats, sore throat, extreme fatigue and muscle aches. Those at greatest risk include adults over age 65, children under 2, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions.
“Do yourself a favor and get the shots,” Thompson said.
