Don’t worry if you’ve waited until all the Halloween candy has been gobbled up to get your annual flu shot.
Northeastern experts say the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving gatherings are a good time to get vaccinated against seasonal flu.
“Now is exactly the right time,” if you haven’t received it yet, he says Samuel Scarpindirector of life sciences at the Institute of Experimental AI at Northeastern University.
“The flu shot is a good combination, which is not the case every year,” he says.
With an early start to the flu season in 2022, “perhaps the best time to get vaccinated was two weeks ago. But the second best time is right now.”
Vaccines take about two weeks to build up enough antibodies to reach peak effectiveness, he says. brandon dioneclinical associate professor at Northeastern College of Pharmacy.
That means people who get their flu shots in the next few days should have some protection against the flu at Thanksgiving gatherings.
“I would say it’s never too late,” says Dionne, who advises getting vaccinated in mid to late October, “when you start seeing Halloween candy for sale.”
It does not recommend that people get a flu shot as soon as it is released in August and early September.
The immunizations work for six months, but their effectiveness declines, says Dionne.
“It fades over time. You have a lower level of circulating antibodies at six months,” she says.
That means people may not be in the best protection if the flu breaks out in January, February or March, as it sometimes does.
“The biggest return on your investment is before the flu season starts,” says Dionne.
This year, of course, flu season started early, combining with RSV and COVID-19 cases to form a “tripledemia” that filled hospital beds.
Dionne says it’s possible the 2022-23 flu season will be “biphasic,” meaning it has two peaks. Or maybe it just had an early spike, he says.
“I have learned not to predict the future when it comes to respiratory viruses.”
It does not recommend that people get a flu shot as soon as it is released in August and early September.
The immunizations work for six months, but their effectiveness declines, says Dionne.
“It fades over time. You have a lower level of circulating antibodies at six months,” she says.
That means people may not be in the best protection if the flu breaks out in January, February or March, as it sometimes does.
“The biggest return on your investment is before the flu season starts,” says Dionne.
This year, of course, flu season started early, combining with RSV and COVID-19 cases to form a “tripledemia” that filled hospital beds.
Dionne says it’s possible the 2022-23 flu season will be “biphasic,” meaning it has two peaks. Or maybe it just had an early spike, he says.
“I have learned not to predict the future when it comes to respiratory viruses.”
With the flu season in the Northern Hemisphere still in its early stages, there is little data on the effectiveness of quadrivalent vaccines in preventing the spread of influenza.
But Scarpino says that comparisons of the genetic sequences of the viruses in circulation with the strains covered by the vaccines seem to indicate a good match.
“I’m guessing it’s going to be in the 50 to 75% range,” he says.
And despite its early start, flu season is still on the upswing, says Scarpino. So if you’re considering getting a yearly flu shot, “now is a great time to do it.”
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