NEW Health will be offering flu shots to adult patients of the health center ONLY! Patients can schedule their vaccinations at appointments or over the phone. The North End site (332 Hanover St.) will have flu vaccine clinics on the following days.
Getting a flu shot is the most important action a person can take to prevent flu and its potentially serious complications. Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine as soon as possible.
The flu vaccine:
INFLUENZA ADVICE 12/9/22 from the Mass Dept of Public Health
• An annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect against flu. Vaccination helps prevent infection and can also prevent serious outcomes in people who get vaccinated but still get sick with flu.
• CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu vaccine annually. Now is a good time to get vaccinated if you haven’t already.
• There are also prescription flu antiviral drugs that can be used to treat flu illness. It’s very important that flu antiviral drugs are started as soon as possible to treat patients who are hospitalized with flu, people who are very sick with flu but who do not need to be hospitalized, and people with flu who are at higher risk of serious flu complications based on their age or health.
• CDC estimates that, so far this season, there have been at least 13 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 7,300 deaths from flu.
• The cumulative hospitalization rate in the FluSurv-NET system is higher than the rate observed in week 48 during every previous season since 2010-2011.
• Of influenza A viruses detected and subtyped this season, 76% have been influenza A(H3N2) and 24% have been influenza A(H1N1).
• The majority of influenza viruses tested are in the same genetic subclade as and antigenically similar to the influenza viruses included in this season’s influenza vaccine.