August is National Immunization Awareness Month!

National Immunization Awareness Month is recognized in August each year. For centuries, immunizations have kept us healthier by helping our immune systems be ready to fight off infections. America's first president, George Washington, had his troops vaccinated against the smallpox infection in the mid-1700s. The polio vaccine, invented in 1955, revolutionized the world by protecting most of the population from a dangerous and sometimes deadly illness. Today, immunizations are just as necessary. Viruses change over time, so the vaccines that protect us from disease must also be updated. This year, we see this with the new COVID variant, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and Influenza (flu). National Immunization Awareness Month is a great time to protect the health of you and your loved ones by getting up to date on your vaccinations.

Fall Vaccines

Protect yourself and your community by getting your updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines. The flu vaccine is updated every year. Like last year, the COVID-19 vaccines will be updated to better protect you from the current COVID-19 variants circulating.

Influenza Vaccine

The flu vaccine for the 2023-2024 flu season should be available for consumers by the end of August. Larger pharmacies, such as CVS, are already scheduling vaccination appointments. If you have a regular pharmacy that you go to, check with them to see when you can plan your shot. If you would instead get your flu shot from your doctor, call their office, and get your vaccination scheduled. 

Most experts recommend getting your flu shot in September or October if the flu season starts early. Getting your shot early in the flu season will keep your protection strong from December through February, when the flu circulates heavily (Source 1).

The flu shot is usually free to people with health insurance without a co-pay. If you do not have health insurance, ask your pharmacy provider if they have a low-to-no-cost option.

COVID-19 Vaccine

It is still essential to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine and boosters to remain protected from the Coronavirus. This year, there will be another update to the COVID-19 vaccine. The updated vaccine will be monovalent, made up of one strain of the Coronavirus. This version will target the XBB strain of the Omicron variant. The vaccine will target this variant because it is the most common strain making people sick right now.

In a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health podcast, Dr. Andrew Pekosz, a molecular microbiology and immunology professor, explained what is so important about this Fall's COVID booster. "When I, as a virologist, look at the data, if you haven't received a COVID vaccine in six months or a year, this is a good vaccine to take because it's very different from the variants that you've been immunized against before." (Source 2).

The updated vaccine is predicted to be available in September. We await word from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on who should receive the updated vaccine & when. 

Have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine?

Check out the South Carolina Disability Vaccine Access Network's Frequently asked questions or call our hotline at 1-800-787-6046.

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References: 

1. Desmon, S (2023, July 31). "Preventing Another "Tripledemic" with Vaccines for Flu, COVID, and RSV." 
2. Johns Hopkins. Bloomberg School of Public Health. Retrieved August 3, 2023, from https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/looking-ahead-at-covid-flu-and-rsv-vaccines-for-fall-2023
3. National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (2023, July 6). "National Immunization Awareness Month. (NIAM)" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved August 4, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niam/index.html