Dr. Don García: “You should get vaccinated against the flu as soon as possible”.

Dr. Garcia with one of his patients at the Romero Clinic, which offers free flu shots. (Clínica Romero)

Oh, the sounds of the season: the sneezing, the coughing, the blowing of noses.

The fall season is the beginning of flu season, and the perfect time to get your annual flu shot, recommends Dr. Don Garcia, Chief Medical Officer at Clinica Romero, which is already giving out the flu vaccine, as well as the new COVID shot for added protection against these viruses that peak in colder weather.

“You should get it as soon as possible,” says Dr. Garcia, who notes the best way to treat the flu is through prevention. And getting the vaccine is part of that prevention toolkit.

Though he’s clear to point out that no flu vaccine (or any vaccine for that matter) is 100 percent proof. That’s because when scientists create the flu vaccine, they look at the flu variants that have been going around recently and try to predict what the most common strains will go around for the season.

“There’s a million type of flu virus. Sometimes, they miss and people say ‘I got the vaccine and I got sick’ and it’s because the flu vaccine didn’t have the right virus,” Dr. Garcia explains.

“They’re looking at epidemiological data; sometimes the data is good or not as good as other years,” he adds.

But regardless of whether they actually hit the mark on the flu virus that will rampage thorugh the season, “it’s better to have some protection, rather than having none,” Dr. Garcia notes.

Dr. Garcia says people can receive both the flu and COVID vaccines at the same time, even simultaneously through “combination vaccines” that pack them all in.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months or older should get the flu vaccine. Children are especially succeptible to the disease and the principal carriers. “If children got the vaccine, that would reduce the number of infections because they transmit it to the parents and grandparents,” Dr. Garcia says.

Also, don’t minimize the risks of getting the flu.

According to the CDC, more than 44,900 people died from the flu during the 2023-2024 flu season. The CDC also estimates that there were: 34–75 million flu illnesses, 15–33 million flu medical visits, and 380,000–900,000 flu hospitalization.

COVID and RSV

And this year, flu is not the only potentially deadly respiratory disease out there. There’s also COVID, which saw a resurgence in the summer, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) – a cold-like infection that also spreads when someone coughs or sneezes, or by touching a contaminated surface and is particularly worrisome for children under 5.

Dr. Garcia says people can receive both the flu and COVID vaccines at the same time, even simultaneously through “combination vaccines” that pack them all in. There’s also an RSV vaccine that you get once a year and is recommended for people 60 and over. It is also recommended late in pregnancy to protect babies born during the fall and winter.

As a community health center, Clinica Romero offers all of these vaccines free of charge to people who need it. All you need to do is make an appointment.

The important thing to remember is to get these vaccines as soon as you can, because by the time you start sneezing, it will be too late.

Flu or Cold?

It is the flu or the cold? What’s the difference? It’s the biggest question this and every flu season.

The CDC explains that flu symptoms can include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle and body aches, headaches and fatigue. Colds are marked by runny or stuffy nose and sore throat.

But if you’re still not sure, get yourself checked out by a doctor.

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you get the flu, quarantine yourself so you’re not transmitting

Practice good hand washing (wash them for at least 20 seconds)

If you’re sick, wear a face covering

Distance yourself from other peole

Get your vaccines

Don’t breath or sneeze in a group of people

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