Second phase of combination COVID-flu vaccine trial to start Sydney Morning Herald
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Second phase of combination COVID-flu vaccine trial to start - Sydney Morning Herald
Free influenza (flu) vaccines are now available for eligible groups, subject to local supply arrangements, with health authorities encouraging booking in from mid April.
For those who arent eligible for a free vaccine, flu shots are available now for a small fee (around A$25) from pharmacies and GPs (though you might also have to pay a consultation fee).
This year, you can get your flu shot on the same day as your COVID booster.
Influenza is a disease of the respiratory tract. It can cause a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, fever and chills, headache and body aches. It can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, which is more common in children.
Influenza affects people of all ages and can cause severe illness and lead to hospitalisation and death, particularly in young children, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.
The number of cases and deaths in Australia each year fluctuates. In 2019, before the pandemic, 313,000 lab-confirmed cases and 953 deaths were reported. The 2019 case numbers were 2.7 times higher than the five-year average.
In the first two years of the pandemic, flu numbers plummeted due to prevention measures used to content COVID spread.
Vaccines dont cause disease in the person. Rather, they prompt the bodys immune system to respond, much as it would have on its first reaction to the actual virus.
Read more: You can't get influenza from a flu shot here's how it works
Flu vaccines stimulate antibodies to develop in the body usually within two weeks following vaccination.
While flu vaccines offer the highest level of protection three for four months after vaccination, research suggests antibodies continue to protect against infection 8.5 months after vaccination and 11.8 months after natural infection.
So while antibodies decrease over time, they generally last longer than a typical influenza season.
Current recommendations are to get vaccinated from April, before the flu season, which generally occurs from June to September.
There are four types (or strains) of influenza viruses: A, B, C or D. Types A and B cause severe disease in humans, and each year the seasonal flu vaccine protects against two A and two B strains.
The four types are related to the presence of specific proteins on the surface of the virus. These surface proteins arent stable and often mutate, or change.
When the body encounters these changes, the immune system cannot be activated.
So although the person may have been vaccinated against or infected by a old version of the viral strain, the body wont easily recognise and neutralise the new strain.
Due to these continuous changes, the World Health Organization reviews and updates its recommendations for the composition of the vaccine annually. It selects the viruses (mutated versions of the virus) most likely to circulate in the coming season.
The Australian Influenza Vaccine Committee uses this recommendation to determine the composition of influenza vaccines for use in Australia.
Our 2022 seasonal flu vaccine protects against:
However, some vaccines protect against three strains (trivalent, covering one B strain) rather than four (quadrivalent, covering two B strains).
While its generally better to get the four-strain vaccine, the success of the vaccine depends on whether it matches (and therefore protects against) the strain or strains dominating that season.
Annual vaccination is the most important measure to prevent influenza and its complications.
Vaccination does more than just protect an individual: sufficient vaccination levels across the community can protect members of the community who would otherwise be left vulnerable.
The seasonal flu vaccine is recommended for all Australians aged six months and over.
Its available for free to the population groups most as risk of severe disease from influenza:
For over-65s, adjuvanted influenza vaccines which include an immune-stimulant to encourage a stronger immune response are recommended over standard influenza vaccine.
Read more: High-dose, immune-boosting or four-strain? A guide to flu vaccines for over-65s
Vaccine effectiveness varies depending on the outcome being measured, the age group affected (as vaccine effectiveness is generally lower in older people), and the match between vaccine and circulating influenza strains.
Estimates of flu vaccine effectiveness is 40-60% in the United States and 30-60% in Australia. This means 30-60% of those vaccinated are less likely to become seriously ill or die from influenza.
Most influenza vaccines are safe in adults and children.
However, they can sometimes cause side effects. These include fever, muscle pain, vomiting, nausea, headache, irritability, injection site reaction and rash.
Serious side effects are rare and include anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction to the nonactive ingredients.
Read more: Should I get the flu shot if I'm pregnant?
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UM epidemiologist asks: How can we improve the flu vaccine? Toledo Blade
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UM epidemiologist asks: How can we improve the flu vaccine? - Toledo Blade
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How Effective is the Flu Shot This Year? Here's When We'll Know - Healthline
Flu season is more severe this year, but the vaccine can provide protection Utah Public Radio
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Flu season is more severe this year, but the vaccine can provide protection - Utah Public Radio
What Nurses Need to Know About the Flu Vaccine DailyNurse
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Have You Received Your Flu Vaccine This Season - Tennesseans Among Most Sick | John M. Dabbs NewsBreak Original
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New data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest the nation's rollout of updated COVID-19 booster shots is off to a slower start, compared to previous vaccination campaigns for both COVID-19 and the annual flu shot.
Through September 28, the CDC reports the U.S. was averaging nearly 550,000 doses of any COVID-19 vaccine administered a day nationwide.
That's slower than the pace of the Biden administration's previous large-scale booster campaign last fall. One week after the CDC expanded eligibility for additional shots on Oct. 21, 2021, the daily average of first booster shots had surged to more than 860,000 per day.
As of Thursday, federal datatallies more than 11.5 million doses of the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech in arms across the country.
That represents around 5.5% of the 209 million Americans who were eligible for the updated boosters when they were greenlighted a month ago.
All vaccinated Americans age 12 and older are recommended by the CDC to get the bivalent boosters, at least two months after their last shot. The CDC says people who were recently infected can wait three months after they tested positive before getting the shot.
"We think that's a really good start. Also, let me be very clear, we need to continue and up that pace as we get into October," Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, told reporters on Friday.
Federal health officials had previously cited modeling from the Commonwealth Fund suggesting 101,858 COVID-19 deaths could be averted this winter, if updated boosters reached levels similar to the annual flu shot.
Jha said they are pushing for Americans to seek out an updated COVID booster alongside their annual flu shot. A recent survey from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases suggests many people do not know the two are safe to get at the same time.
"We know that most Americans, when you think about when people get their flu shot, they tend to get it in late September early October. It stands to reason, weather is starting to get colder, people starting to think about the holidays, that is often a natural time," Jha said.
However, the updated booster campaign is so far also lagging behind the pace of flu shots from previous seasons. Last year, figures from the healthcare data firm IQVIA published by the CDC estimated more than 13.5 million adults had gotten a flu shot by late September. By Oct. 2, 2021, nearly 20 million were vaccinated.
In September, the White House touted plans to focus its booster outreach on people at higher risk of severe COVID, like older Americans and those with compromised immune systems.
Around half of the updated boosters to date have gone to seniors, the White House estimates.
But Jha said Friday that the administration's booster outreach had been limited by a stalled funding request on Capitol Hill, which is not expected to be taken up until after the midterm elections.
"We are running the best campaign we can and, we think, quite an effective campaign. But no doubt about it, it has been substantially hampered by the lack of funding from Congress," added Jha.
A survey published by the Kaiser Family Foundation last month found half of American adults had heard little or nothing about the updated boosters, and 40% were unsure if the shot was recommended for them.
"I feel very clear that our goal is every American who's eligible should get vaccinated, and we've got to do everything we can to both share that information, show the benefits of that, and make it as easy as possible," said Jha.
Unlike last year, the White House has shied away from setting specific goals for uptake of the updated boosters.
Jha confirmed Friday that the White House had made "no internal goals" and did not plan to publicly commit to any specific benchmarks for measuring their updated booster campaign.
"In none of that conversation has it ever felt useful to identify a specific number. Just as we don't have a number for how many deaths we're willing to accept. We are going to keep driving deaths down lower and lower and lower," said Jha.
CBS News reporter covering public health and the pandemic.
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