UPDATED COVID VACCINE, RSV, INFLUENZA: THE TIME IS RIGHT

Here it is September already! That means it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor or  pharmacy to get your annual flu shot. A flu shot, and the other vaccines currently recommended, are the best thing you can do to keep yourself well and out of the hospital this winter. 

Every year, recommendations for annual vaccinations change. Last year’s recommendations were the senior high-dose quadravalent flu vaccine, the latest COVID-19 vaccine, and the new Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine. All three can be taken at the same time. We were fortunate to receive all three because right after we got our shots, the pharmacy ran out of RSV vaccine. RSV vaccine, at least right now, is not an annual vaccine. It appears from CDC information, that last year’s shot was all we need for RSV prevention at this time. However, that may change in the future. 

COVID-19 virus is now endemic. That means it has become a virus that is present everywhere all the time. Just like influenza and the common cold, it is an illness with which we will have to deal the rest of our lives. Fortunately, since 2020, medical science has come a long way in the fight against COVID-19. People have developed “booster fatigue” because there have been so many variants of the virus that the vaccine is frequently being altered and re-introduced. The re-introduction is always a new booster. This year’s vaccine targets the Omicron KP.2 strain, and both Moderna and Pfizer, the two COVID-19 vaccine “winners,” have FDA-approved vaccines for patients 6 months or older.

The CDC has stated that natural immunity is good, but since the virus mutates so often, it’s very important to keep current on boosters. Boosters provide immunity without first causing the patient to be ill and run the risk of hospitalization, or a worse outcome. Getting the annual, or semi-annual, booster keeps patients current on their immunity. COVID-19 immunity is not permanent and the pathogenic aspect of the virus changes frequently so updated vaccine is the best way to keep up or get ahead. 

Last year’s COVID-19 vaccine was taken by only 23% of adults and 14% of children. The spread of negative information on COVID-19 vaccine have convinced millions of folks to take a pass. But people, especially the elderly, should not. This year’s vaccines are recommended for everyone 6 months of age or older. That includes people who have never been vaccinated against COVID, as well as people with previous COVID infection. Patients should not get the new updated vaccine until at least two months after any previous COVID vaccine and at least three months after a COVID infection. 

Vaccine recipients have “the greatest protection in the first few weeks to months after a vaccine, after which antibodies tend to wane.” COVID immunity has broadened greatly since 2020. “Most people (over 95%) have some degree of immunity from previous illness, vaccination, or both.”  High risk adults, in particular, need to keep vaccinations current as much as possible. “The best way to stay well is to get a dose of the updated vaccine as soon as possible.”

This year, you should get an RSV vaccination if you’ve never had one, this year’s Omicron KP.2 COVID-19 vaccine, and the high-dose senior adult flu vaccine. If you do, you’ll be protected against all comers except that darn common cold virus! Make your appointment and get vaccinated ASAP!

Reference: Fryholder SA. Updated COVID Vaccines: Who Should Get one, and when? Medscape Internal Medicine 2024 Sept 6. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/updated-COVID-vaccines.