Health experts typically advise getting your COVID-19 and flu vaccine by the end of October. However, if you’ve missed that window, you can still get them well into the respiratory virus season and see a benefit.

Flu activity, particularly flu A, is on the rise across the U.S. this month, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Activity is still at “minimal” levels in Kentucky as of Dec. 13, though some neighboring states are seeing more cases.

“It is really not too late to get your shot,” Dr. Nicholas Van Sickels, an infectious disease specialist with UK HealthCare, recently told the Herald-Leader in an interview.

In fact, U.S. flu activity tends to peak between December and February.

Holiday gatherings around the end of the year make it a great time to get your vaccines, Van Sickels said.

If you have questions about vaccine timing, side effects and overall flu vaccine effectiveness, here’s what to know.

Why winter and the holiday season is a good time to get your vaccines

For the COVID and flu vaccine, it only takes about a week to get some level of protection, Van Sickels said. A flu shot specifically is a good idea at any point during the winter season.

“If you are looking at optimal timing, and you plan holiday travel or getting together with others, this is a great time to get your flu shot if you haven’t,” Van Sickels said.

Everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions, should get a flu vaccine, public health guidance from the CDC states.

This year, the agency recommends COVID-19 vaccination for older adults, specifically those aged 65 and older, based on their risk factors for severe COVID-19. For younger people, vaccination is informed by whether they’re at increased risk for complications from the virus.

Common at-risk conditions for severe COVID-19 include heart, lung, metabolic, kidney, immune and neurological problems. Pregnancy or recent pregnancy, along with obesity or sedentary lifestyles, are also risk factors.

Vaccine appointments are available at several pharmacies, such as Walgreens, CVS and Kroger.

How effective is the flu vaccine this year?

A recent study looking at flu activity in the Southern Hemisphere found the flu vaccine’s effectiveness to be about 50% for clinic visits and hospital stays. Essentially, it cuts the rate of medical care for the flu in half, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

Along with lessening the burden on providers, certain groups at risk of getting seriously ill from the flu typically see a greater relative benefit when they get the vaccine. These groups include older adults, young children, pregnant people and individuals with weakened immune systems, among other vulnerable populations.

That said, if you’re a young, otherwise healthy adult, you can still see a solid benefit from getting the shot. During seasons when flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses, the vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with the flu by 40 to 60%, according to the CDC.

Even if you do get the flu, vaccination helps to reduce the severity of the illness.

“It definitely helps people when they do get sick with the flu. They end up less often being hospitalized, less often being very sick,” Van Sickels said.

The alternative is going without protection, being out of commission for a week or more if you get it and spreading it to your family and friends.

Does the flu vaccine have side effects?

As explained by the CDC, a vaccine cannot cause the flu.

Flu shots are made in two ways:

1. Influenza vaccine viruses that have been killed and therefore cannot infect you.

2. Proteins from an influenza virus.

Nasal spray vaccines are made with weakened live influenza viruses that cannot make you sick.

After you receive a flu vaccine, you may experience side effects that are generally mild and brief, including:

•Soreness, redness and/or swelling near where the shot was given

•Headache

•Fever

•Muscle aches

•Nausea

•Fatigue

Nasal spray vaccine side effects can include:

•Runny nose

•Wheezing

•Headache

•Vomiting

•Muscle aches

•A low-grade fever

•Cough (in adults)

•Sore throat (in adults)

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