Time to get respiratory disease vaccinations

SANDUSKY — It's time to get your fall vaccinations against winter's expected respiratory diseases, including getting flu shots and COVID-19 vaccinations. October is traditionally recommended as the best time to get the annual flu shot, and officials at the Erie County Health Department said that's good advice. In addition, new COVID-19 shots have become available, and it's also recommended that many Americans get vaccinated against RSV or respiratory syncytial virus. Flu shots, RSV shots and the new Spikevax mRNA COVID-19 vaccination offered by Moderna are available at the Erie County Health Department in Sandusky , which accepts all forms of health insurance. The vaccinations are also available at many pharmacies and doctors' offices. There has been plenty of publicity about the fact that the Trump administration's top health official, Health and Human Services cabinet member Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is skeptical of conventional vaccination advice. But at the end of the day, all three of the vaccinations against respiratory diseases are available to all Americans, according to Katelyn Jetelina, author of the "Your Local Epidemiologist" Substack newsletter. Flu vaccinations are an annual vaccination. Higher doses of the flu vaccine are given to people 65, as they are considered more vulnerable to serious consequences if they get sick from the flu. Everyone who is older than 6 months old is eligible to get vaccinated against the flu. While getting a shot does not guarantee that you won't get the flu, it reduces the chances of serious illness. According to Jetelina, getting the flu shot reduces the risk of going to the doctor by 30% to 60%. Similarly, most epidemiologists recommend getting regular COVID-19 vaccinations. While getting an additional shot cannot prevent everyone from getting the virus, it is believed that staying up to date reduces the risk of serious illness. According to Jetelina, getting the latest COVID-19 shot reduces the risk of getting sick. The COVID-19 vaccination is available not only as the Spikevax offered at the Erie County Health Department but also as an mRNA vaccination, mNEXSPIKE, provided by Pfizer, and as Novavax, which does not use mRNA technology. COVID vaccinations are available for everyone six months old or older. Jetelina says there is some evidence that mNEXSPIKE might be more effective for older adults and that Novavax may produce fewer side effects for at least some people. Unlike the other two recommended shots, the RSV vaccination only needs to be done once. It is recommended for infants and for older adults. It also is recommended that older adults obtain vaccinations against pneumonia.