Editorial: Get your COVID and flu vaccines to prepare for the holidays – The Virginian-Pilot

As the days grow shorter and the leaves start to fall, winters arrival looms across Hampton Roads. And with the holidays fast approaching, that will mean more travel and time indoors with family and friends.

To protect yourself and others, nows the time to get an updated COVID booster and to vaccinate against the flu. Two easy shots are an investment in your health and should provide needed peace of mind when sharing time with loved ones in the coming months.

The nation has learned a few things about COVID in the nearly four years since the virus first reached these shores. Medical professionals are better at treating the illness and the availability of effective antiviral medication means fewer people face hospitalization or death as a result of infection.

While that doesnt obscure or erase the awful early days of the pandemic or the subsequent waves that collectively killed more than 23,000 Virginians, it does mean the commonwealth is better prepared than ever should a new strain prove to be more infectious or deadly than those now circulating.

It also turns out that many of the habits acquired during the pandemic are equally effective at preventing the spread of other airborne illnesses, such as influenza. Among these are frequent hand-washing and good, preferably filtered, airflow in indoor spaces.

But the most important weapons against COVID are the vaccines. Developed in record time through the Trump administrations Operation Warp Speed, the COVID shots are safe and effective at preventing the development of life-threatening symptoms as a result of infection.

They represent an extraordinary breakthrough for science and for the nation, in that it allowed the easing of pandemic-era restrictions and for most people to return to work, school and their lives without fear.

Virginians embraced the vaccines when they were made available, and the commonwealth boasts a vaccination rate of 76.8% according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The commonwealth ranks 14th among states and the District of Columbia for residents aged 18 and older who completed their primary two-shot dose.

However, Virginias vaccination rate has waned dramatically since the initial shots were made available. The state Department of Health reports that only 18% of adults are vaccinated with the latest COVID booster, which was designed to protect against the most dominant coronavirus variant.

Thats little surprise. There are fewer messages encouraging others to get the shots and less effort paid in our communities to address harmful misinformation about the COVID vaccine and vaccinations in general.

As of September, those boosters are recommended for everyone 6 months and older. They are available in most locations, following some intermittent shortages after they were released, though its important to check if your health insurance covers them. The expiration of the public health emergency means that, unlike previous vaccines and boosters, they may not be free.

Since it takes two weeks before the vaccine is fully effective, getting that booster now will make sure that Thanksgiving can be celebrated safely with family, friends and neighbors especially for seniors, the immunocompromised and those who have vaccine allergies.

Likewise, public health officials recommend that everyone get a flu shot before the end of October. But missing that target isnt disastrous. A flu vaccine will help protect against the respiratory disease for months, ensuring protection against the most common influenza strain through peak-flu season.

Thankfully, this years flu season has begun slowly unlike last year when late October through the end of November saw case numbers spike. So theres still a good chance that a flu shot today will pay off in the months to come.

We all should want to do our part to protect ourselves and our families during the holiday, but COVID continues to circulate and the flu will again take its toll on the public. The best defense remains vaccination, both for the coronavirus and for influenza.

Dont hesitate. Get your shots today.

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Editorial: Get your COVID and flu vaccines to prepare for the holidays - The Virginian-Pilot