Flu activity in many parts of the United States is starting to rise more rapidly, signaling that flu season is on the horizon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday.
With Americans set to travel for Thanksgiving gatherings next week, people who’ve been waiting to get a flu shot should think about acting now, Alicia Budd, the CDC’s team lead for domestic flu surveillance, told STAT.
“Really what we’re seeing is a more sharp increase in activity, week over week, and we know from experience when that happens often times we are entering into that period of even more increased activity,” Budd said. “It’s a great time for people to get vaccinated, if they’ve been holding off.”
The intergenerational mixing of families at holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas often helps flu spread more quickly through the population. “It’s a perfect environment for influenza activity to take off,” she said.
Flu vaccine uptake so far is trailing last year’s rates by a few percentage points, Budd said. The CDC estimates at this point about 35% of adults have had a flu shot. Among children ages 6 months to 17 years, about 32.6% have been vaccinated, also down a bit from this time last year.
If antivax boomers wanna keep offing themselves at this point I’m kinda whatever about it.
Yeah, the problem with that is because of the lag time between infection and death, they’ll be taking immunocompromised people and others with them.
I am immunocompromised from cancer.
You have no idea how much these absolute morons piss me off.
Yeah I totally get that. But apart from forcing these people there’s no reasoning with with anymore. So if they are gonna go without vaccines (and they definitely will) I’m not gonna lose a lot of sleep over them landing in the ground when it’s all over with.
I don’t think flu has a big pay time between becoming infectious and becoming symptomatic though, like COVID does. That makes it easier to avoid (if I’m right.)
Edit: Looks like people average one day infectious before they themselves show symptoms.
True, but these people are the same ones who don’t stay home when symptomatic, or even cover their cough or sneeze with their elbow. They’re probably still out and about infecting people.
But it’s not just them it affects unfortunately. I’ve personally seen previously totally healthy kids die from the flu. It’s a nasty virus anyone is better off without. And there’s many people out there of all ages who are immuno compromised or at increased risk from the flu through no fault of their own, or can’t be properly vaccinated for a variety of reasons.
Yeah I mean sure it killed people in every age group but the vast, vast majority were people 65 and older. Like it’s not even remotely close.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1191568/reported-deaths-from-covid-by-age-us/
I wish it was a boomer thing…
I say boomer specifically because they’re the age group most likely to die from covid or the flu. Definitely know there’s plenty of dumbass younger people too.
I got mine, I just hope it covers the active strains this year.
Damn it, I keep forgetting to schedule my vaccine! Argh!
Most places allow pop-ins. Just might have to wait a bit.
I may have to do that, but my schedule is a little wonky right now.
You know what would really throw a wrench into your schedule? Being ill with flu.
I know. I know. I’m also sick with a mystery illness which makes things more difficult. But I will try to get one when Thanksgiving is over.
Good luck, fren!
I got my flu shot. Suck it, antivax morons!
Did US health insurance end up deciding to cover the new COVID boosters?
There was a lot of mixed messaging there for a while about how the prices were going to be like 10x as much and coverage was uncertain. That uncertainty can’t have helped getting people in to get that and their other seasonal vaccines, even if it ended up getting resolved.I got mine a few weeks ago and didn’t pay anything. I don’t think I even had to give them my insurance info. either.
I think you are thinking of the medicine they use after getting covid, as far as I know flu and covid vaccines are completely free
