Holiday health guidance
Flu vaccine, COVID booster will offer protection from surging illnesses
Hard to believe that the Christmas and New Year’s holidays are only a few weeks away. Consider this a reminder for those who have yet to begin their gift shopping, card writing, travel planning or other preparations for gathering with family and friends.
Here’s another thing to put on your to-do list: Get vaccinated against the flu and make sure your COVID booster schedule is up to date. There’s no reason to ruin the holidays by getting sick or infecting those around you, and, thankfully, a simple investment of time now can pay off handsomely in the coming weeks.
In late October, Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Colin Greene sent a letter to medical professionals across the commonwealth warning of the “challenging flu and respiratory disease season” expected this year. The retired U.S. Army colonel included concerning data about Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and some ominous information about influenza this year.
The worries Greene expressed were well placed. The start of December found Virginia hospitals overwhelmed by RSV cases, which can be dangerous and even fatal in infants and seniors. Children’s hospitals and pediatric centers report a staggering number of cases, which is every
parent’s fear.
Add to that a wave of flu cases in Virginia that started earlier than normal; the entire commonwealth now has a “high” or “very high” level of transmission. The early flu season has been extraordinary and uncommon. More than 9% of emergency department and urgent care patients are experiencing flu symptoms, which is a rate that far exceeds any in recent years.
That is happening as another, smaller wave of new COVID cases emerges, in what will likely be an annual or regular occurrence. The seven-day average of new infections doubled in the last week, likely fueled by the travel and indoor gatherings around the Thanksgiving holiday. Those numbers are still well below the worst periods of the pandemic — a small mercy
— but the virus is still lurking, still infecting people and still leading to hospitalization, long-term complications and even death.
Greene recommended in his letter that doctors encourage their patients to get the flu vaccine, noting that their “strong flu vaccine recommendation is one of the most important factors in patients accepting the vaccine.” That’s true with COVID vaccinations and boosters as well, and the bivalent booster introduced at the beginning of September performs better against the very infectious omicron virus variant.
Getting these shots will help protect the health of those who get them but they will also help protect others and their community. But by themselves, they will not stop the spread of illness.
For that, people need to take responsibility for their health and that of others. That means staying home if you’re feeling unwell and wearing a mask if you’re sick and do have to leave the house. It means washing your hands frequently and avoiding, whenever possible, crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation.
Understand that, due to the pandemic and sharply reduced interactions with others, people have less natural immunity to infection, from influenza to the common cold. While Virginia has a comparatively high vaccination rate (73.5% of the 18+ population is fully vaccinated), there are also people who are reluctant to get vaccinated against COVID or who have “vaccine fatigue” that extends to the flu shot.
That means large gatherings are going to carry some risk. Getting vaccines now will allow them the time to be fully efficacious in your system. COVID boosters and the flu vaccine take about two weeks to take effect.
So don’t gamble with your health over the holidays or those of family and friends. Get the flu vaccine and your updated boosters. Decline that Christmas party invite if you’re not feeling well and take the precautions needed to avoid infection.
Public health officials fear this season will bring a “tridemic” of infections from COVID, flu and RSV. People making smart decisions is the best hope of avoiding it.