National Immunization Awareness Month
This month is National immunization Awareness Month. For over twenty years, in one capacity or another I’ve been encouraging mature Americans during this month to get their shots, especially their flu and pneumonia shots. It has always been difficult to get people interested in getting vaccinated for sicknesses that become prevalent in the fall, so it’s pretty strange that this year all we’ve been talking about is vaccines and when one will be available for COVID-19. While this is good, I’m worried that we might forget that there are already vaccines available for other illnesses and we need those even more this year.
We’ve been sequestered and socially distanced for almost 6 months. We’ve delayed or cancelled non-emergency doctor visits and it looks like we’ll continue on this path into the fall. What we can’t lose sight of is the increased importance of getting your needed vaccinations this year. The worst outcome I can think of is catching the flu or pneumonia and then catching COVID-19. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) makes the following statement about your flu shots and COVID-19.
“There is no evidence that getting a flu vaccine increases the risk of getting COVID-19. There are many benefits from flu vaccination and preventing flu is always important, but in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more important to do everything possible to reduce illnesses and preserve scarce health care resources.”
For you who get your required shots every year, good job, continue on. For those of you who just couldn’t seem to find the time each year to get your shots . . . change your ways. This is the year that you need to get protected. Call your doctor and talk with him/her about what immunizations you need and then discuss the best social distanced way for you to get immunized.
As always, I have links to information to help you. These links are all on the CDC web site. The first link, click here, is to a page that tells you all about vaccines that adults need. One of the important links on this web page is to the adult vaccine self-assessment tool that can help you find out what vaccines you may need.
If you want even more detailed information about vaccines, you can click here. This link should satisfy even the most detailed oriented amongst us.
We’ve done a lot of things to stay healthy during these interesting times. Now is not the time to let our guard down. While we hope that a vaccine for COVID-19 will soon be available, we shouldn’t pass up the chance to get inoculated with vaccines that are already available and are critical to keeping us healthy in these unhealthy times.
Call your doctor, get scheduled for your shots in September or October at the latest. It’s important and can save your life or the life of a loved one.
Thair