Do I Need a Flu Shot This Year?

December 1, 2022

We recommend that everyone gets a flu shot every year to help protect them from severe illness. We especially recommend it this year as we enter into a season where the flu and COVID-19 are circulating around together—and people are taking fewer illness-prevention precautions.

The flu vaccine has been around for over 50 years and has been proven to be very effective in reducing symptom severity and even preventing illness in the first place. Get all the details regarding the flu shot from our AFC Urgent Care Fountain City team below.

Will the Flu Shot Make Me Sick?

This is perhaps one of the most common myths surrounding the flu shot. The vaccine contains deactivated influenza viruses that are intended to stimulate an antibody response in your body. They are not live viruses, meaning that the shot cannot give you the flu.

However, it is possible to feel run down for a few days after the vaccine as your body builds immunity against the virus. It is also possible for you to contract the flu from an external source while you are waiting out the two weeks it takes to fully form that antibody response in your body.

Benefits of a Flu Shot This Year

It reduces your risk of death due to the flu.
It can reduce the number of days you are sick if you do get the flu.
The shot changes each year to tailor to the most common strain.
The shot helps reduce hospitalization risk.
It contributes to herd immunity.

What Does Herd Immunity Mean?

“Herd immunity” is the result of a population becoming immune to a disease. The more people who are immune to a particular disease, the harder it is to spread through a community. Forming antibodies through the flu shot helps with this!

While the flu will be around every year, the more people who form immunity to it, the better chance we have of reducing a spike in cases. The vaccine protects you, but it also protects those around you that are at a higher risk of serious illness and those that are not eligible for the vaccine.