Your Checkup: Health Conversations for Motivated Patients
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Your Checkup: Health Conversations for Motivated Patients
77: The Flu Shot: Why This Vaccine Matters More Than You Think
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The flu vaccine is our best defense against influenza, a contagious respiratory virus that causes millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths in the US each year. Despite being only 40-60% effective, the vaccine significantly reduces hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and deaths while protecting vulnerable populations who cannot be vaccinated.
• Influenza causes 9-41 million illnesses, 140,000-960,000 hospitalizations, and 12,000-80,000 deaths annually in the US
• Everyone aged six months and older should receive the flu vaccine yearly
• The vaccine must be updated annually because the flu virus changes each year
• Getting vaccinated helps protect vulnerable populations like infants and immunocompromised individuals
• Common misconception that the vaccine causes flu is false – it cannot give you the flu
• Only 40-46% of Americans get the flu vaccine annually despite its proven benefits
• The best time to get vaccinated is before flu season begins, but getting it later still helps
• Flu vaccination reduces strain on hospitals during peak seasons
Go get your flu shot today! It's the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbors
References
- Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza With Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices - United States, 2022-23 Influenza Season. Grohskopf LA, Blanton LH, Ferdinands JM, et al. MMWR. Recommendations and Reports : Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Recommendations and Reports. 2022;71(1):1-28. doi:10.15585/mmwr.rr7101a1. Copyright License: CC0.
- Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America: 2018 Update on Diagnosis, Treatment, Chemoprophylaxis, and Institutional Outbreak Management of Seasonal Influenzaa. Uyeki TM, Bernstein HH, Bradley JS, et al. Clinical Infectious Diseases : An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 2019;68(6):e1-e47. doi:10.1093/cid/ciy866.
- Influenza Vaccination. Treanor JJ. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2016;375(13):1261-8. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp1512870.
- Effects of Influenza Vaccination in the United States During the 2017-2018 Influenza Season. Rolfes MA, Flannery B, Chung JR, et al. Clinical Infectious Diseases : An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 2019;69(11):1845-1853. doi:10.1093/cid/ciz075.
- Vaccines for Preventing Influenza in Healthy Adults. Demicheli V, Jefferson T, Ferroni E, Rivetti A, Di Pietrantonj C. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2018;2:CD001269. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001269.pub6.
- Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2022-2023. Pediatrics. 2022;150(4):e2022059275. doi:10.1542/peds.2022-059275.
- Influenza. Uyeki TM. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2021;174(11):ITC161-ITC176. doi:10.7326/AITC202111160.
Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD & Nicole Aruffo, RN
Artwork: Olivia Pawlowski
Hi, welcome to your checkup. We are the patient education podcast, where we bring conversations from the doctor's office to your ears. On this podcast, we try to bring medicine closer to its patients. I'm Ed Dolesky, a family medicine doctor in the Philadelphia area, and I'm Nicole Rufo. I'm a nurse, and we are so excited you were able to join us here again today. Big week this week, not a week of leisure, no, no, leisure time is over. Leisure time is over.
Speaker 2:Someone went to work this week.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just because when I was doing my interview with them they were like yeah, don't talk about it too much, I mean not in so many words we're not going to name.
Speaker 1:No, we're not going to name where I am. Of course someone could look it up, but like, we're not going to name where. But I loved every bit of it, so I am incredibly excited and I'm so happy is really what I wanted to say. Um, it's busy. I love the opportunity to get to meet new people. I tossed out the podcast, uh, the business card every once in a while and I am just, I'm thrilled I'm over the moon. It's such a fun thing. I know, every day is not going to be easy, but it was a blast. Um, and other news we've been excommunicated from our house because our entire HVAC system blew out.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, so aggravating. Allegedly getting fixed later this week, though, so we'll see if that happens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, giant perk of renting.
Speaker 2:Not a problem, except it is our problem when we're too hot and can't sleep.
Speaker 2:No, and like little boys get really hot little boys get really hot yeah, too hot, um, but you know, sleeping with the windows open it is loud yeah, our like street itself is quiet, but then people, people are not sometimes in like the middle of the night if they're like walking home from a bar or something yeah, I'm pretty susceptible to that. I think you sleep through a lot of that stuff I know, which is shocking, because I'm such a light sleeper you are.
Speaker 2:I could get up in the middle of the night and you hear his little like oh my god, I hear ollie move and I'm like, oh, who's that is he throwing up?
Speaker 1:have we yeah, have I, like you know, explained this like this scene where, like you could be dead asleep you hear, and you're on the if you're like laying in the bed, you're on the right side, you grab the corner, like kind of like taking off the screen protector of a thing, but like you grab the corner, you, as if it's a cape, fling the blanket and comforter off and in one fell swoop, while that's coming out, you are already two feet on the ground with a towel in hand, somehow Tossing it under this man as he's getting ready to puke.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a mother's instinct.
Speaker 1:It's fantastic. And then all the while I'm just stirring, waking up, being like what's happening.
Speaker 2:And then Eddie's like ugh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a really fantastic thing. You're so agile in these moments and you are in other times too, I guess but you know, this is just maybe the most impressive one. Um, let's see, have we? Have we eaten anything interesting?
Speaker 2:um, have we? I feel like we, we gotta, we need, we need to like figure out our new routine with your like new work schedule. So I feel like we just had like girl dinner every night.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was something.
Speaker 2:Although I did come home for lunch the other day and you had like a whole steak made.
Speaker 1:That was funny. Tell us about what happened from your perspective.
Speaker 2:When I came home for lunch.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, we had planned I knew my day was going to be a little lighter and I can walk home in like 10 minutes, so I can like walk home, have lunch, come back. And we had planned that I would come home that day because Eddie had some admin time, so he was going to be at the house. I would come home that day because Eddie had some admin time, so he was going to be at the house. And then I texted you, probably like less than an hour before, like I had planned to come back, something that like there better be a steak on the table waiting for me when I got home. Like joking.
Speaker 1:Right, I could sense there was a joke.
Speaker 2:And then I came home and there was a steak on the table for me. It was great, and brussels sprouts and brussels sprouts.
Speaker 1:It's delicious, the best lunch yeah, I really leaned into that bit I I wanted to do anything more than sit through more of those onboarding videos.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're always rough.
Speaker 1:So I ran to the store and got the meat and cooked it up real quick. It actually came out really good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was delicious for what you claim to be like a rush job.
Speaker 1:It was a rush job, it was.
Speaker 2:It wasn't a very exciting week because you were just working. We were like getting used to and figuring out everything. Our house is hot because the temperature crept up again and we don't have any air. Yeah, so we left we did.
Speaker 1:I'm hoping the storms come through and bring down the temperature. I'm hopeful that it won't be as hot during the day if we leave the windows open. I'm no meteorologist, but I'm seeing like lows in the mid 50s which will be very comfortable on a morning W.
Speaker 2:It will be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I'm looking forward to getting into more of a rhythm, like when to exercise morning, afternoon, getting back at normal times after like finishing seeing patients and stuff. So we'll see how that all shakes out. Yep, anything you're looking forward to this week.
Speaker 2:Anything I'm looking forward to this week? Well, yeah, jill's coming on Thursday and we're going to church, aka Tom's dim sum sum that's gonna be so funny that'll be fun, and then, well, I guess I am kind of looking forward to not having to go into work on friday. That's always a good day. So I'm meeting the dog sitter for the wedding oh, you know what?
Speaker 2:I didn't put two and two together that you were not going to go in person on friday, because you were going to do that yeah, I'm going to work here because the dog sitter is going to come here for the wedding, because we're kind of closer to the venue and I think 1, 30 she's coming and we're going to have a meet and greet yeah, that's going to be great.
Speaker 1:I wonder, I know picked I I know we're worried about him jumping up on the dress because he's just so excitable. Pictures would be adorable. I know, I know you're thinking about it, though Maybe see what she has to say about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll see if that's something that she can do also, which I feel like it might be. But then a girl I work with gave me someone she knows personally and then also does like dog, like walk, comes and like walks her dogs too, but then she also will like bring your dog to like your wedding venue for pictures so are we like locked into this lady you're meeting and greeting on friday?
Speaker 2:um, yeah, for the most part oh I mean the like meet and greet is to see you know if they maybe you vibe, yeah jinx. What are you looking forward to this week?
Speaker 1:I'm. I'm truly like not to be a total nerd. I am a freak. I, like anyone, asks me how this, this thing is going as I'm just getting started. I honestly can't get enough and like, the office is great and I'm excited to get back in there. I'm excited to get settled in. I am excited for a dictation service. Um, I know, all of these things that I'm saying are about work.
Speaker 2:I think I need to be severed oh yeah, we like started watching severance, because why did we get that?
Speaker 2:it was part of the credit that with our credit card yeah the what is it on out it's on apple tv, yeah, um yeah, we started watching it because, like everyone loves it, I think like the final season came out like last year or like earlier this year or something, and it was a whole big to do and, yeah, you definitely need to be severed, like you need to come home from work. Not think about work, not read about things that are wrong with patients, not oh, I know lock into epic I know I'm obsessed.
Speaker 1:It's just so fun, which is bad. I do need to find a balance, because I noticed it like this first week where I was like coming back and I was just thinking about it too much and then ignoring my nikki yeah which is not good I wouldn't say you were ignoring me that's kind of you. I'm gonna be critical of myself. Yeah, something I could work on, we'll see as I get more settled. Then you know, yeah, there are worse things.
Speaker 2:I could hate where I work.
Speaker 1:I don't.
Speaker 2:You could.
Speaker 1:It's the opposite.
Speaker 2:That would be tragic one weekend.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Yeah, that would be the worst. Nope, it's great, all right. What do you think?
Speaker 2:Shall we?
Speaker 1:I think we shall. So what are we going to talk about today, Nick?
Speaker 2:Well, since it is coming up on that time of year, we're talking about the flu.
Speaker 1:We certainly are, and we picked this week for this episode because it is usually the time when most doctors, offices and pharmacies start delivering the flu vaccine to people, so it's a timely episode. We have one from last year, but we're hoping to give a little more detail and a little more of an update with current numbers. Okay.
Speaker 2:Eddie, tell us what the flu is. Numbers Okay, Eddie, tell us what the flu is.
Speaker 1:So influenza, or the flu, if you will. It's a contagious virus and spreads every year, usually from late fall to early spring, not exclusively, but those are the general times. It can cause a lot of symptoms, but there are a few key ones Fever, cough, sore throat, body aches is a pretty specific one and tiredness. So a lot of people recover in a week or two. But the flu can be devastating to certain people and lead to some serious, serious problems. I mean flu. Pneumonia can be really nasty. Flu in the wrong person can lead to hospitalization and, very unfortunately for frail people or more vulnerable people, even healthy people, flu can cause death. So that's sad, especially in young children, older adults, pregnant people and those with chronic health conditions. It is a big deal. It is something to think about. So on a macro level, can you tell us how common and serious the flu is?
Speaker 2:So every year, in the US at least, the flu causes an estimated 9 to 41 million illnesses. Out of those, there are about 140 to 960,000 hospitalizations and then 12,000 to about 80,000 deaths per year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, big ranges there. Yeah, I think it changes from year to year. There are good flu years, there are bad flu years, but those are the wide ranges that are seen, which I mean, if you couldn't tell, that is very common. We're gonna have some more statistics for you later in the episode talking about, like, how individually the flu might affect you.
Speaker 2:But my big takeaway those are very big numbers yeah, I mean even on the lower end, like 12 000 people dying in a year from the flu right and especially for something where, like, there's a vaccine that could help help prevent that.
Speaker 1:So right even, and that's just in the united states. Globally, influenza is responsible for anywhere from 291 000 to 646 000 deaths every year, which is sad, but it's a real thing that we need to think and talk about. So about 8% of people in the US get symptomatic flu each season and that's, you know, 8%, isn't every year. So we see, depending on the year, it's anywhere from 3% to 11%. So big range On the upper ends, that's 1 in 10 people get the flu, which is no joke. I mean, you know 10 people, one of them probably got the flu. If it wasn't enough to just feel crappy and get sick, the flu ends up being a major cause of missed work and school, with estimates of millions of days lost each year for school and work, which you know who doesn't like to? Maybe not work a little bit, but when you're at home feeling awful and not working and you think about productivity and stuff, probably not the best. Have you ever had to stay home from work with the flu?
Speaker 2:um, I mean probably, listen, I've never got tested for the flu because I've never like gone to the doctor, because I've been like sick with a virus.
Speaker 1:And my like adult life.
Speaker 2:I don't know, maybe my mom took me to the pediatrician or something.
Speaker 1:But I don't know. There was that one time when you were like ill and like your heart rate was high. You had a formal fever and I was like what's wrong with this lady?
Speaker 2:no, I have never been that felt that sick in my life. That was crazy and that's like.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's what we're talking about. Sometimes that happens to people here. I don't think I've ever had the flu. I've never been sick enough to the point where I like reached out and got help and had the flu and the body aches. Thing has never happened to me before, so can't offer any personal experience here.
Speaker 2:All right, Eddie, Tell us why we have to get or you would have to get the flu vaccine every year, and not just you know one and done one and done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's because the flu virus itself changes from year to year, which ends up being kind of a frustrating thing. So it's updated annually to protect against the most common types of flu expected each season. Some strategy is that they look at the opposite hemisphere and see what affected them in that flu season and then they tried to make the vaccine for that year based on that information. It's not an exact thing, which is why you'll see later in the show that the flu vaccine doesn't exclusively help every single person, which casts some doubt, I think, among certain populations, about its effectiveness and why we push this so much. But it is still a great deal of help. So the CDC and this recommendation was done at the time when the CDC was of sound mind and recommendations were coming out that were scientific. I think that's called into question every day. This information today is from several different sources and reviews, as well.
Speaker 1:As the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that everyone aged six months and older get a flu vaccine every year, unless there's a formal medical reason that they can't, which are extremely far and few between. Like, if you're listening to this, you probably don't have one of those medical reasons. All this to say a little tidbit here. If it's your first flu vaccine, as like a baby, you need two doses. Ask your doctor how that actually goes. A common one yesterday that came up. Um, someone got the flu vaccine in the late spring of just last year, so at this point a couple months ago, and they were like, oh, do I need to get the flu vaccine again? And my answer was yes, because it's a different one it's a different one, yeah, and it's new.
Speaker 1:So many primary care offices do it, many pharmacies do it. So go out and get your flu shot. I'm going to say that like five more times in the show. So, nikki, why don't you tell us a little bit? Can you give us some numbers, give us an idea? And we kind of hinted at it a little bit about that. It doesn't. It's not perfect. It doesn't exclusively help everyone all the time.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's talk about numbers and how well the flu vaccine works.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So it's not perfect but it helps a lot and some of the that information is coming next. So the flu vaccine is about 40 to 60% effective and it depends on the season, it depends on the person's age and some other health things. What I will say is that of course this isn't as effective as other mainstream vaccines that we have. I think of MMR vaccine, measles, mumps, rubella, where the effectiveness at preventing those things after two doses is in the high 90 percentile. Those things after two doses is in the high 90 percentile. For COVID vaccines early on we were seeing reports of low 90s percent effectiveness at preventing these things. Things change over time but essentially 40 to 60 percent it's effective. Now it is much more helpful when you think about what it does like, what it actually steps out and makes things happen.
Speaker 1:So in the 20 to 23 to 2024 season the flu vaccine reduced the risk of flu related outpatient visits by about 59 to 67% in children and in adults 33 to 49%. I just want to like sit with that. The vaccine itself took the number of times that people had to pick up the phone or go online say I feel that awful that I need to go to the doctor and take time out of their day and go do that. Whatever copay, coinsurance pay. Whatever get seen, get the advice and the testing that you have the flu, maybe get medicine, maybe not. It prevented all of that. So I mean what's more important maybe is that it also reduced hospitalizations. In children it reduced hospitalizations by 52% to 61% and in adults 41% to 44%, and you might find different data elsewhere, but this is what we found. Is it fun to see a kid in the hospital with flu?
Speaker 2:No, it certainly isn't. Can it be pretty nasty? Yeah, yeah, I can. I mean, I've like watched kids stop breathing.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, awful. I've seen little old ladies pass away from the flu in the hospital.
Speaker 2:I've seen little old ladies pass away from the flu in the hospital, not the lols, yeah.
Speaker 1:Preventable. To a certain degree. This helps. It's something to think about, and so really be sincere when you're thinking about the community benefit that the flu vaccine gives, even if you're like a strapping 25 year old who's like invincible and feels like you're healthy. Yeah, your meemaw isn't Right. Right. I like how we picked meemaw. I know that was good because, like we don't, have any sort of.
Speaker 2:We don't have a meemaw. No, there's no meemaw in our like sphere I feel like meemaw is just like a like. No offense, if you have or are a meemaw, let us know if you have a meemaw, it's just like a no offense if you have or are a Meemaw. Let us know if you have a Meemaw, it's just like a funnier.
Speaker 1:I think it's a little funnier, but no shade on the people with the Meemaws. And if those numbers weren't enough for you 2017 and 2018, there's a lot of data for the flu. There's estimations that it prevented 7.1 million illnesses, 3.7 million medical visits and 109,000 hospitalizations and 8,000 deaths in the US. And I'll tell you what even then, the vaccine was only reported to be 38% effective. So all of those benefits maybe you hit the backwards button on this episode to go listen to those again All of those benefits still happened, even though the vaccine was only 38% effective in that year. So there's more to it.
Speaker 1:It's a little complicated and that's why it takes like a whole podcast episode to explain it or a whole article, but that's what we're talking about. It may not be perfect, but it does a world of good and it's very, very helpful. So those are big, systemic, big worldwide population health numbers about why it's a decent idea to think about getting the flu vaccine. Let's bring it down to a little bit of a more narrow level and talk about you. So, Nikki, can you tell us a little bit more about the individual benefits of the flu vaccine?
Speaker 2:I can Well. First and foremost, obviously, it reduces your risk of getting the flu, and vaccination lowers your chance of getting the flu down to about 0.9% every season.
Speaker 1:Pretty low, pretty low, pretty low. What else can it do for you? Pretty?
Speaker 2:low, pretty low, pretty low. What else can it do for you?
Speaker 1:So preventing more serious illnesses that will land you in the hospital or might end up with death.
Speaker 2:You don't want death on your problem list.
Speaker 1:You don't want death on your problem list? No, that would be a bad thing on your list, don't you hate when you end up with death. I hate ending up with death. It sucks.
Speaker 2:It's a bad day can't come back from that. Well, some people do that's an episode for another day. So because it's reducing your risk of getting the flu, reducing serious illnesses and hospitalizations, we're reducing our time of missing work or school which both are very important and can kind of be a pain to miss and protects people who are more vulnerable, such as people who are pregnant or infants or the lols.
Speaker 1:Right, little old ladies, those little old ladies.
Speaker 2:Or you know, like if someone's immunocompromised.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:Who can get like really, really sick if they get the flu?
Speaker 1:you know, right, there we go, and you know, zooming out, there are some societal benefits and we've talked a little bit about what that looks like. You are protecting others. Yeah, I'm supposed to feel preachy at this point. When more people get vaccinated, it helps protect other people who can't get vaccinated. Think about what we said earlier. We said the flu vaccine is recommended for all people six months and up. What about those babies? Babies to five months? They can't get the flu vaccine. So by you getting it, you help protect them if you spend more time around them something to think about.
Speaker 2:I see you pondering over there yeah, no, I'm just thinking like, like, if we ever have an infant during flu season, we god help anyone around us because I feel like we would be psychotic if there's any indication with how we handle ollie like yeah, no, we're.
Speaker 1:Don't come here my fetus, we're nuts, my fetus, yeah, um, it reduces strain on hospital. I don't know how, as an average listener, you would feel this effect. During severe flu seasons, there can be tens of thousands of hospitalizations related to the flu. That puts strain on the hospital. Hospitals know that this is happening. They know it's coming. Hospitals are more full at those times. This is happening, they know it's coming, hospitals are more full at those times and, to be honest, there are finite amount of resources and I think we saw that during covid, that like the system was being topped out and you see what things happen, like elective surgeries get canceled or care is more divided among more people for a finite amount of people. I mean, like when you were working on the floor, could you do the same thing for two patients as you could if you had seven?
Speaker 2:Well, they would never give me seven patients in peds. Fair, yeah, the ratios are much better in peds because no one ever wants anything to happen to a kid. Um, but I imagine, no, I wouldn't be able to if I was in the adult world, which I never would do that, ever on the floor god bless them, yeah god wolf anyway.
Speaker 2:Um, but no, the days that we were like during when it's like peak, more like RSV season, which is also like flu season, yeah, getting like an extra kid when you would have like an otherwise full assignment really just throws your whole day off.
Speaker 1:Yep, it's a lot 30 patients on a list of inpatient patients is way different than 12. There's just less time in a day to address and talk about everything, and it doesn't. I feel like people sometimes snap their fingers and make it seem like things just happen, like the magic happens in a hospital, but like it's finite. So this gets us to a very important question, one that is often asked Is the flu vaccine safe?
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's very safe. Many people have no problems getting it. Some may have mild soreness at the site of injection, maybe a little temperature bump, probably nothing. That matches a fever 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, and it all goes away quickly.
Speaker 2:What do you say when people tell you that they don't want to get the flu shot, because when they get the flu shot they get the flu?
Speaker 1:I would say that I appreciate that they're worried and that I think they may have a little bit of a misunderstanding about what happens during the vaccine itself is to drum up the immune system in a way that that you create this immunity to the flu so you may feel a little bit of that immune system activation in the way of feeling a little bluff for a little while. But you know, I think there's a lot to be said for like having that conversation when people are so dug in in, like a very quick visit, which is why we're doing this here. Does that make sense? Was that a decent explanation? You think I think so.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, all that to say, the vaccine itself cannot give you the flu. Plain English, this is a good one. So, despite so many people qualifying to get the flu vaccine, in the US, it seems that only about 40 to 46% of people get the flu vaccine every year, and some groups have even lower coverage, especially in children and young adults. Globally, vaccination rates are even lower, with about only 25% of the general population vaccinated each year. So I guess this leaves me thinking like why, why is that sentiment there, like so many people don't get it? I think one thing is that like this won't happen to me. Yeah, mentality.
Speaker 2:Well, and also, how do I say this without well? I don't think I would offend anyone. I feel like people just don't care about other people.
Speaker 1:In general, yeah, like empathy and compassion, don't go far beyond the realm of what you see their immediate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like themselves, yeah I think there's some of that I do, I think in the young adult population it's like why would this affect me? A third layer, I think, is distrust with the medical system. I think there's a healthy amount of that out there, which is why we do something like this to try to cross that bridge and help people get a better understanding of, like, actually, what's going on. But I think there's a good amount of distrust. There's a good amount of distrust with big pharma. Um, in this situation, I think it's a little misguided and I think this is a purely beneficial thing that will just help, um, but it's not lost on me that it takes a lot to earn trust, and there have been certain things that have happened in the world and in medicine that take a deep gash and leave a deep scar on trust. I don't think it should apply here, though. Yeah, no, but yeah that those numbers are very low.
Speaker 1:What numbers 40 to 46%.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:Especially when it comes to, like, saving lives.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it could be higher.
Speaker 1:Could be higher. When should the flu vaccine be given?
Speaker 2:It's best to get it before the season starts, so around now, Exactly the ideal timing will probably like if you're at the doctor will probably be asked to you know asked about it. If you have your like patient portal thing, you'll probably get a notification. That's like you're due for your flu shot.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:When you're at the pharmacy, they'll probably ask you.
Speaker 1:You bet.
Speaker 2:So it's best to get it right like before the season starts or kind of like right at the beginning. But really, if you get it, you know, like mid season it's still helpful.
Speaker 1:Totally. Better late than never, and so the big idea here is to protect yourself and protect your community. Really think about getting the flu vaccine every year, because when it comes to the flu, it is the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and your neighbors. Helps keep everyone healthier, reduces burden on hospitals, keeps you in work, fewer days missed, keeps kids in school and keeps more people alive and feeling well, which I think is a good enough reason and a good enough is a good enough reason to endorse getting your flu vaccine this year and every year. Feel good about that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Great, we thank you for coming back to another episode of your Checkup. Hopefully you were able to learn something for yourself, a loved one or A neighbor who needs the flu vaccine, you guys can go together.
Speaker 2:You can go together with your neighbor. Or a neighbor who needs the flu vaccine, you guys can go together.
Speaker 1:You can't go together with your neighbor. Check out our website. Find us on threads the most active there. Not so much now, me working and having to not be on the internet all day. Send us some fan mail if you will. That's a one-way street so we can read it, but we can't respond to you. If anyone feels left out that we haven't been responding, and shout out Ernest and Sons for that amazing sandwich that I had last week. Most importantly, stay healthy, my friends, until next time. I'm Ed Dolesky. I'm Nicole Rufo. Thank you and goodbye, bye. This information may provide a brief overview of diagnosis, treatment and medications. It's not exhaustive and is a tool to help you understand potential options about your health. It doesn't cover all details about conditions, treatments or medications for a specific person. This is not medical advice or an attempt to substitute medical advice. You should contact a healthcare provider for personalized guidance based on your unique circumstances. Thank you, I'm not your doctor, I am not your nurse, and make sure you go get your own checkup with your own personal doctor.
