We received our first shipment of flu shots for the 2023-4 season today. Our vaccines are the preservative-free quadrivalent version. Flu shots are effective at reducing both incidence and severity of illness.

The 2022-3 season was severe, with at least 300,000 hospitalizations and 27 million cases (2022-2023 U.S. Flu Season: Preliminary In-Season Burden Estimates, 2023). We anticipate similar numbers this year. Typically, only half of adults in the US get the flu vaccine annually, which leaves a lot of vulnerable people unprotected.

We will have a limited supply of flu vaccine and will distribute on a first-come, first-served basis. They are available for kids 6 months of age and older. We are still waiting on pediatric flu vaccines but anticipate their arrival by the end of September.

Commonly, we hear people tell us that they got the flu from the vaccine (10 flu Myths, 2020). This is not possible, as it is an inactivated vaccine. What is possible, and likely really common, is that you’ve gotten a similar virus about the same time as vaccination. We give flu vaccines in the fall as schools are starting, and as the first respiratory viruses of the season are going around.

Flu vaccine reduces, but does not eliminate, risk from this common virus. If you should get sick from the flu or a similar virus this fall, we recommend self-isolation until at least 24 hours after you are no longer having a fever. If you have a new onset viral infection, get registered for a quick telehealth appointment so we can discuss treatment, if indicated.

Speaking of viral illness, if you are sick on the day of your appointment, please let us know ahead of time and come into the clinic wearing a mask. We will give you access to our auxiliary waiting area to try to keep viral illness from spreading at the office. As much as possible, we will try to move acutely ill individuals to telehealth this fall and winter.