GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – Cold and flu season is right around the corner and we continue to deal with cases of COVID, so is it time to get boosters and flu shots? Dr. Russ Lampen with Corewell Health says this fall both Pfizer and Moderna have released and approved by the FDA an updated COVID vaccine. This vaccine has been reformulated to be a better match for the strains circulating now, so this vaccine is more effective than what was available. Lampen believes this will be an annual vaccine that will be updated yearly to be a best-match and released in the fall to provide people immunity as we get into a respiratory season.
Dr. Lampen recommends everyone get the COVID booster this fall. This vaccine is approved for all individuals six months and older. People with underlying health concerns, heart and lung disease who have immuno-suppression, and those older than age 65 are at risk for developing complications. Dr. Lampen stresses that the more people who get vaccinated, the less disease we have in the community.
As far as the flu shot, Dr. Lampen says it’s always difficult to predict when flu season will start. He says we do know traditionally that flu season tends to start around January. He says last year was a typical influenza season, which typically results in the deaths of 25,000-35,000 individuals and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations. Last year we started to see cases earlier than in previous years. Lampen says now is a good time to get your flu vaccine.
