Medical experts are advising South Mississippians to get their flu vaccines as early as October as this year’s flu season may see a sharp rise in cases over last year.
It takes about two weeks to develop the antibodies required to fend off flu variants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says wearing masks, social distancing, and sanitizing kept flu cases low last year.
Because of this, researchers like those at John Hopkins School of Medicine say the upcoming season will be unpredictable.
Cindy Hansen at Memorial Hospital says the COVID and Flu vaccines are perfectly safe to take together. “However, you want to make sure that for our 65 and older population, there is a flu add is what we give here. It’s pretty much a flu vaccine that has an additive that gives them increased protection.”
Memorial Hospital recommends that the vaccines are taken in different arms.
