YOUR LIFE YOUR HEALTH
Why getting your flu shot this year is crucial
Oct 20, 2022, 7:03 PM | Updated: 10:23 pm
SALT LAKE CITY— October is the time to prepare for the holidays and upcoming flu season with a flu shot.
Dr. Tamara Sheffield, senior medical director for preventive medicine at Intermountain Healthcare said looking at the recent flu season in Australia can give us an idea of what to expect here.
“A much earlier start and much more severe season that we have seen in many years,” Dr. Sheffield said.
Those six months and older are eligible for the flu vaccine. Sheffield said that this year, the Centers for Disease Control recommended that those 65 and older get the Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent, Flublok Quadrivalent, or Fluad Quadrivalent vaccine.
“Their immune system ages like their bodies, so it doesn’t respond as well. It’s important to get the extra vaccine so it produces enough of an immune response,” Sheffield said.
She said getting your flu shot is more crucial this year than ever before. “Our hospitals could get overwhelmed again if we see people getting flu and COVID, we need people to get protected against both,” she said.
Like many workplaces, we recently had our flu shot clinic at the KSL Broadcast House.
“Why wouldn’t I get a flu shot, it’s good for me and everyone around me,” said Larry Curtis from KSLTV.com.
“It’s just the thing that I do every year, and I always advocate for everyone to get one,” said KSL photographer Mark Less.
Sheffield recommended that you get your flu shot and COVID-19 booster the same day.
