Get vaccinated now or wait a few weeks

The State of Connecticut and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that you get your annual flu shot now, if you can.

They are not mistaken, as the recommendation recognizes that many people do not have easy access to medical care and that some of them who could get the flu shot may not be able to cope with a shortage. unforeseen, a financial problem or an unforeseen event.

Dr. Ulysses Wu, head of the infectious diseases section at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, said vaccine manufacturers also recommend that you get vaccinated immediately, but for different reasons.

"The problem is that influenza and vaccines are a big deal, and no matter which company distributes influenza vaccines, they want you to get them from it and the timing is not as important for them, "he said.

Dr. Wu said it is not yet time to get vaccinated, although you can wait, because any flu vaccine is better than no flu vaccine, but timing does not matter. .

"The reason they even talk about the timing of the flu shot is reduced protective immunity against the flu shot," he said. your flu risk increases by 16%, which means we are talking about decreasing immunity.

In other words, waiting a bit now will strengthen your immunity at the end of the winter, when you need it the most. Dr. Wu recommended that anyone who has the luxury of waiting to be vaccinated against influenza should wait until the end of September or October because the flu season usually starts in November and takes about two weeks.

"Until October, it's probably the optimal time," said Dr. Wu. "Personally, I tend to wait until the end of October." before doing it. "

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