Byline: Liz Ahlberg Touchstone, Biomedical Sciences Editor, University of Illinois News Bureau
New vaccines against the virus that causes influenza and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are now available and arriving in clinics and pharmacies. Chris Brook, a professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is a virologist who studies respiratory viruses. He explains what the new vaccines are, the best time to get them, and why you need them in the first place.
Why do we need yet another COVID-19 vaccination?
This virus is evolving much faster than we expected. Vaccines need to be updated to be more effective as new variants emerge that are different from previously circulating viruses and covered by previous vaccines.
Vaccinations against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are likely to be given every year, just like the flu shot. New variants are emerging every few months, and unfortunately, they have evolved to appear different to our immune systems than previously prevalent strains. Vaccines need to be updated to ensure they protect against these new variants that are circulating. As we watch these new variants evolve, we need to continue to update our COVID-19 shots.
What’s in this year’s flu shot? Can bird flu be prevented?
This year’s flu shot was developed similar to past flu shots. The virus contains three different strains of the influenza virus, and public health experts estimate it will become prevalent later this year.
Bird flu strains are quite different from the seasonal flu strains we often see circulating among humans, so standard flu vaccinations don’t actually protect against bird flu. Researchers are working hard to develop an avian influenza vaccine. Avian influenza is a threat that has been around for more than 20 years. Vaccines have already been developed that target the H5 viruses that are currently circulating, including the bovine virus that people are concerned about. So if this virus were to infect people, we would be in a better position to develop a vaccine to protect against it than we were at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. . We have already developed these vaccines.
Who should get the COVID-19 and influenza vaccination?
Ideally, everyone would be able to get vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19 each year. My first priority is to protect the people who are most susceptible to severe infections – the elderly and those who are immunocompromised for various reasons, or if you work in a medical setting – especially if you are at risk of getting sick. I think it’s people being exposed to certain people. Or even at school. You do not need to have been previously vaccinated for this vaccine to be effective.
When is the best time to receive these vaccinations for maximum effectiveness?
When it comes to flu shots, it’s best to get them about 1 to 2 months before flu season officially begins. Although it varies slightly each year, the influenza season typically begins around November. Really, it’s okay to start now.
You can receive an influenza vaccination and a COVID-19 vaccination at the same time. They put one in each arm, and that’s how I usually do it.
Does the shot really work? Is it worth the side effects when you might not be infected with either virus?
The main question I get is whether someone should get the vaccine. I think that’s obviously a personal decision, but vaccines definitely reduce the severity of infection and duration of infection.
Everyone will be exposed, especially to COVID-19. If you haven’t been infected or vaccinated in the past six months, getting vaccinated will definitely help. This will almost certainly reduce the severity and duration of COVID-19 even if you contract it, and you can still be contagious. The same goes for influenza viruses. RNA-based coronavirus vaccines in particular have side effects, but in my experience they are generally much milder than the actual virus.
