Flu Shots Are Available — Will You Be Getting One This Year?
If you haven't noticed the signs around Lubbock, flu shots are now available. If you're worried about the cost of the flu shot, the signs and commercials are pretty clear that there is a $0 co-pay for most insurance plans.
Last year's flu season was pretty bad. According to the latest figures provided by AJC.com, 80,000 Americans died of the flu last year. That's a record. The CDC also found that there were 900,000 hospitalizations last year due to the flu.
According to AJC, 90 percent of those who died from the flu last year were over the age of 65 but one particular strain caused a high rate of death.
Though last year’s flu vaccine was about as effective (40 percent) at preventing infection as the prior season, the dominant strain of H3N2 flu caused unusually high mortality rates. Unlike previous influenza seasons with high mortality rates, last year’s was caused by a “normal” season, not by a new pandemic strain, though it’s important to note that the H3N2 strain is considered the most deadly of the four seasonal flu strains.
In recent years, the influenza vaccine’s effectiveness has varied between 19 to 60 percent.
Some medical professionals are already predicting that the 2018 flu season will be bad. Will you get a flu shot?