There's a chill in the morning air and that means fall, and flu season, are right around the corner.
Medical professionals in Peoria County say some things are the same as any flu season, while other things have changed to create new challenges. There are three diseases experts expect to circulate this year: COVID-19, Influenza and RSV.
“RSV [vaccination] would probably be the most timely, because we expect to see RSV cases in October in the community,” said Dr. Douglas Kapser, section head of infectious disease at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.
Kasper says RSV is primarily a threat for small children and other vulnerable populations. For that reason, vaccinations for the disease are only approved for adults over 75, or between 65 and 70 with a chronic condition, and pregnant women in their third trimester.
“So the RSV vaccination is not recommended for all age groups,” Kasper said. “So that’s a little bit of nuance compared to the other ones we’ll talk about.”
Vaccines for Influenza, or the flu, are available to basically all age groups. Anyone older than six months can get a flu shot. There’s also a nasal mist version available for those apprehensive of vaccines.
“If you’re going in for a [primary care] visit, they might give you the vaccine as part of the visit,” Kasper said. “But, these are widely available throughout the United States. So, there shouldn’t be any real delay or difficulty obtaining them.”
Kasper says the flu vaccine and the updated COVID vaccine, approved in August, can be taken at the same time with no complications.
However, according to a July survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, 1 in 5 Americans believe it’s actually safer to be infected by COVID-19 than it is to be vaccinated against it.
Kasper points out that the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration track the data for adverse reactions. He says the numbers hold over time, these reactions to vaccination are much lower than those to natural infection.
“Not to diminish that people have had adverse outcomes with COVID vaccines, but those over the span of a whole population, hundreds of millions of people have shown to be less frequent than those who have had natural infection with COVID,” Kasper said.
However, for those that want the COVID vaccine, there may be some new barriers in the way. One of them is cost.
The CDC’s “bridge program,” which helped cover the cost of COVID treatments, expired in August. Now, patients without insurance could face costs of $200 or more for inoculation.
Peoria City/County Health Department Public Health Administrator Monica Hendrickson says this is a concern on the organization’s radar.
“The bridge program, which really targets individuals that kind of fall in this kind of black hole of insurance and uninsured situations, there are discussions about how to get access for individuals and how to find the vaccine from that,” she said.
It’s an important issue to solve, as Hendrickson says Influenza and COVID are peaking earlier than they typically do. She echoes Kasper’s recommendation: get the vaccinations you’re eligible for, as soon as you can, preferably at the same time.
“If you’re looking at spacing out your vaccine, recognize that the day you get your vaccine is not the day you all of a sudden magically have immunity or have developed this immune response,” Hendrickson said. “It takes a while for it to really trigger.”
Kasper acknowledges that the yearly rush of vaccine information can be confusing and overwhelming. A lot of that stress, he says, was put on by the initial COVID wave in 2020. A period where mandates required testing and vaccination to return to work and school.
“Now that we’ve changed into this period of time where it’s an individual decision, the education, the updating about what the options are, about what benefit they prove to the person, has become so much more nuanced,” Kasper said.
But, he believes people were comfortable with seasonal flu vaccinations pre-pandemic. COVID vaccinations may just be a few steps away from feeling routine.
Kasper recommends using resources provided by the CDC here if you still have questions about vaccine schedules.
