Help Fight Flu This Flu Season

Prevent Flu this Fall and Winter

It’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both spread this fall and winter. Healthcare systems could be overwhelmed treating both patients with flu and patients with COVID-19. This means getting a flu vaccine during 2020-2021 is more important than ever, in addition to proper hand hygeine and taking antiviral medications as prescribed by your doctor.

While getting a flu vaccine will not protect against COVID-19, there are many important benefits, such as:

1. Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization, and death.
2. Getting a flu vaccine can also save healthcare resources for the care of patients with COVID-19.
3. Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions.
4. Flu vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy.
5. Flu vaccine can be lifesaving in children.
6. Flu vaccination has been shown to reduce the severity of the illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
7. Getting vaccinated may also protect people around you.

Flu Vaccine: Frequently Asked Questions

Is the flu vaccine safe?

Flu vaccines have a good safety record. Hundreds of millions of Americans have safely received flu vaccines over the past 50 years. Extensive research supports the safety of seasonal flu vaccines. Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other partners to ensure the highest safety standards for flu vaccines. More information about the safety of flu vaccines is available here.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

The CDC conducts studies each year to determine how well the influenza (flu) vaccine protects against flu illness. While vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine. In general, current flu vaccines tend to work better against influenza B and influenza A(H1N1) viruses and offer lower protection against influenza A(H3N2) viruses.

What are the side effects of the flu vaccine?

Flu shots are made using killed flu viruses (for inactivated vaccines), or without flu virus at all (for the recombinant vaccine). So, you cannot get flu from a flu shot. Some minor side effects that may occur include soreness, redness and/or swelling where the shot was given, low grade fever, and aches.

Why do some people not feel well after getting a flu shot?

Flu vaccine side effects are generally mild and go away on their own within a few days. Some side effects that may occur from a flu shot include soreness, redness, and/or swelling where the shot was given, headache (low grade), fever, nausea, muscle aches, and fatigue. The flu shot, like other injections, can occasionally cause fainting. Still, there are several reasons why someone might get flu symptoms, even after they have been vaccinated against flu:

1. People can become ill from other respiratory viruses besides flu (i.e. the common cold), which can cause symptoms similar to flu. The vaccine only protects against the flu, not other illnesses.
2. It is possible to be exposed to flu viruses shortly before getting vaccinated or during the two-week period after vaccination that it takes the body to develop immunity. This exposure may result in a person becoming ill with flu before protection from the vaccine can take effect.
3. It is possible to be exposed to a flu virus that is different from the viruses the vaccine is designed to protect against. There are many different flu viruses that spread and cause illness among people. For more information, see Influenza (Flu) Viruses.
4. Flu vaccines vary in how well they work and some poeple who get vaccinated still get sick. However, vaccination has been shown to reduce the severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.

Who should get vaccinated?

Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season with rare exception. More information on who should and who should not get a flu vaccine is available here.

When should I get vaccinated?

You should get a flu vaccine by the end of October. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating, vaccination should continue throughout flu season, even in January or later. Read about misconceptions about the timing of seasonal influenza vaccination.

Does a flu vaccination increase your risk of getting COVID-19?

There is no evidence that getting a flu vaccination increases your risk of getting sick from a coronavirus, like the one that causes COVID-19.

Still have questions?

Read more about the seasonal flu shot, flu vaccine effectiveness, and how to prevent seasonal flu.