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Don't Call Them Boosters: Here's What To Know About The Flu And COVID Vaccines This Fall

Don't call them boosters.

They're vaccinations — both COVID and influenza mutate constantly, creating new strains for our immune systems to fight. New vaccinations are created to target the newer strains.

While flu vaccines are created each season, COVID's mutations are less predictable, and don't follow a linear annual path.

Flu season is emerging and, although the disease is not predicted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be as prominent as years past, doctors are urging people to get the vaccine.

This fall, doctors recommend both the flu and COVID vaccine. Patients can get flu and COVID-19 shots at the same time.

Dr. Oliver "Rocky" Mollère, an internal medicine and primary care provider at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, is seeing an uptick of COVID cases in Louisiana, but expects the flu season to not be as harsh — similar to previous flu seasons in the state. 

Last year, just 45% of adults got a flu vaccination and even fewer, 23%, got a COVID-19 shot in the United States. As of March, Louisiana averaged just over 70 daily hospitalizations from COVID and only 39.4% of residents reported receiving their seasonal flu vaccine.

Who needs a fall COVID-19 or flu vaccination?

The CDC urges both an updated COVID-19 shot and yearly flu vaccine for everyone ages 6 months and older. If you recently had COVID-19, you can wait two or three months but still should get an updated vaccination because of the expected winter surge.

Both viruses can be especially dangerous to certain groups, including older people and those with weak immune systems and lung or heart disease. Young children also are more vulnerable. The CDC counted 199 child deaths from flu last year.

"Receiving the vaccine can lower the chance that you catch the flu, but it's not perfect," Mollère said. "The real benefit of taking the flu vaccine to the individual is that it will have a very large impact to reduce the chance that someone gets so sick that they end up in the hospital or die from the flu."

Pregnancy also increases the chances of serious COVID-19 or flu — and vaccination guards mom plus ensures the newborn has some protection, too.

Mollère recommends getting the flu vaccine for everyone who is eligible.

"There's not a great way for me as a physician to predict who's going to have just a 'feel really bad and have an unpleasant kind of 10 to 14 days' or who's going to get so sick that they end up in the hospital or die," Mollère said.

What's new about the COVID-19 shots?

Last fall's shots targeted a coronavirus strain that's no longer spreading while this year's are tailored to a new section of the coronavirus family tree. The Pfizer and Moderna shots are formulated against a virus subtype called KP.2 while the Novavax vaccine targets its parent strain, JN.1. Daskalakis said all should offer good cross protection to other subtypes now spreading.

The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines can be used by adults and children as young as 6 months. The Novavax shot is a more traditional protein vaccine combined with an immune booster, and open to anyone 12 and older.

Which flu vaccine to choose?

High-dose shots and one with a special immune booster are designed for people 65 and older, but if they can't find one easily they can choose a regular all-ages flu shot.

For the shot-averse, the nasal spray FluMist is available for ages 2 to 49 at pharmacies and clinics — although next year it's set to be available for use at home.

All flu vaccinations this year will guard against two Type A flu strains and one Type B strain. Another once-common form of Type B flu quit spreading a few years ago and was removed from the vaccine.

What will it cost?

The vaccines are supposed to be free under Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans if people use an in-network provider.

About 1.5 million uninsured adults got free COVID-19 vaccinations through a federal program last year but that has ended. Instead, the CDC is providing $62 million to health departments to help improve access. 

Check government websites for availability at local pharmacies.

Why Do You Feel Bad After A Flu Shot?

If you've gotten your annual flu shot, nice work. More than 200,000 Americans are hospitalized because with the flu every year. But you still can catch the flu after a flu shot, and here are some reasons why. Every year scientists decide what flu strains will be most common during the flu season. The vaccines take at least 4 months to produce, so they have to make their best guess pretty early. Even in a well-matched year, the flu vaccine is only 60 to 90 percent effective. The CDC announced this year's flu vaccine only covers 50 percent of the strains floating around. So if you come in contact with a virus very different from the vaccine, it may not protect you. It's also possible to catch the flu before the flu vaccine takes effect, usually about 2 weeks. Some believe you can catch the flu from the flu shot, but that's just a myth. It's normal to have some side effects like soreness where the shot was given. It's rare, but you may also get a low grade fever or feel some aches. They will probably only last 1 to 2 days, and then you'll be back to normal. If you have different symptoms than aches after a shot, you may have caught a cold. Remember its cold AND flu season. Still, the benefits of getting a flu shot far outweigh the risks. Even in a down year like this one, you'll be protected against half of the viruses out there. For WebMD, I'm Dr. Michael Smith.

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Dr. Michael Smith

If you've gotten your annual flu shot, nice work. More than 200,000 Americans are hospitalized because with the flu every year. But you still can catch the flu after a flu shot, and here are some reasons why. Every year scientists decide what flu strains will be most common during the flu season. The vaccines take at least 4 months to produce, so they have to make their best guess pretty early. Even in a well-matched year, the flu vaccine is only 60 to 90 percent effective. The CDC announced this year's flu vaccine only covers 50 percent of the strains floating around. So if you come in contact with a virus very different from the vaccine, it may not protect you. It's also possible to catch the flu before the flu vaccine takes effect, usually about 2 weeks. Some believe you can catch the flu from the flu shot, but that's just a myth. It's normal to have some side effects like soreness where the shot was given. It's rare, but you may also get a low grade fever or feel some aches. They will probably only last 1 to 2 days, and then you'll be back to normal. If you have different symptoms than aches after a shot, you may have caught a cold. Remember its cold AND flu season. Still, the benefits of getting a flu shot far outweigh the risks. Even in a down year like this one, you'll be protected against half of the viruses out there. For WebMD, I'm Dr. Michael Smith.

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