There is no one-to-one correlation between cold weather and getting sick.
That old adage about stepping outside and catching a cold does not tell the whole story. What does matter is that winter pushes people indoors and into closer contact, making it easier for viruses to spread.
Children鈥檚 National Hospital infectious disease physician Dr. Alexandra Yonts told 草莓传媒 that this year鈥檚 flu season may arrive later than usual, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be mild.
She warned flu cases could start climbing 鈥渁fter Christmas and New Year鈥檚,鈥� when people travel and families gather.
“Last year, almost 300 children died from influenza, and most of (them) were previously healthy,鈥� Yonts said.
She said one reason the flu shot remains essential is for protecting people with respiratory illnesses, existing health conditions or weakened immune systems.
And no, the flu shot cannot give you the flu.
鈥淚n common vocabulary, we throw around the term 鈥榝lu鈥� to mean any sort of viral illness that gives us a fever. But there are hosts of other viruses that are not covered by the influenza vaccine that can still make you sick,鈥� she said. “Protecting you against influenza specifically is still a priority.”
Yonts added that getting vaccinated is especially important before visiting young children, elderly relatives or immunocompromised family members during the holidays.
鈥淭hink of it as doing it for those people, if you aren鈥檛 interested in doing it just for yourself,鈥� she said.
If you鈥檙e behind, Yonts said getting both the flu shot and the updated COVID booster at the same visit is completely safe: 鈥淭hat has been studied, and it shows there鈥檚 no major difference in the side effects. If anything, you鈥檙e getting them both out of the way at once.鈥�
Flu shots are recommended for those 6 months old and older, and doctors say it takes about two weeks to build full immunity.
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