As we head into the holiday season, it’s essential to protect yourself and your loved ones by getting the influenza (flu) vaccine. The flu vaccine reduces the risk of going to the doctor with the flu by 40 percent to 60 percent. Since the flu virus spreads quickly, even healthy children (and adults) can become sick. Flu can mean a few days of feeling bad and missing work, or it can result in more severe illness.

There are many reasons to get the flu vaccine each year. People with medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes or any disease that decreases their immune system can be at risk for serious complications from the flu. The CDC recommends that everyone six months of age and older receive an annual flu vaccine.

Flu vaccines cause antibodies to develop in the body about two weeks after vaccination. They protect against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season.

Along with getting the flu shot, it is vital to get the COVID vaccine. COVID-19 vaccines are effective. They can keep you from getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Since the vaccine makes you one-third as likely as the unvaccinated to get sick in response to exposure, you are protecting not only yourself, but others too. Vaccinated people generally experience symptoms similar to a cold or a mild flu-like illness.

While COVID-19 vaccines were developed rapidly, all steps have been taken to ensure their safety and effectiveness. They were created using science that has been around for decades. COVID-19 vaccines are not experimental. They went through all the required clinical trials, and extensive testing and monitoring have shown that these vaccines are safe and effective.

Evidence is emerging that people get better protection by being fully vaccinated compared with having had COVID-19. One study showed that unvaccinated people who already had COVID-19 are more than twice as likely as fully vaccinated people to get COVID-19 again (CDC, 2021). Everyone aged 12 years and older are recommended to get vaccinated. The CDC also now recommends that children between the ages of 5 and 11 years receive the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine.

A variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 that is currently circulating is the Delta variant. The Delta variant causes more infections and spreads faster than earlier forms of the virus that causes COVID-19. It might cause more severe illness than previous strains in unvaccinated people. Fully vaccinated people with breakthrough infections from this variant appear to be infectious for a shorter period.

People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines or two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. To receive the most protection, people should receive all recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

It is recommended that everyone over the age of 18 who received the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna-NIAID at least six months ago should get a booster.

If you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities that you did before the pandemic. However, you should wear a mask indoors if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission. Being fully vaccinated and wearing a mask maximizes protection from the Delta variant and possibly spreading it to others.

The holiday season is time for family and friends, celebration and cheer, fellowship and gratitude. I encourage you to receive the vaccinations recommended to you by your primary care provider to protect you and your loved ones during this most wonderful time of the year!

Dr. Lincoln Wallace practices at UnityPoint Clinic Kenyon Road – Family Medicine