Your Guide to the 2018-2019 Flu Shot.
The CDC recommends getting the flu shot for everyone, starting with six month olds. Recommendations and available vaccines change slightly each year, which is why we have a cheat sheet for the 2018-2019 flu season.
What are my options?
There are several different types of flu shots, but most healthy adults don’t need to worry too much about which one. You can get any flu shot at the clinic where you come.
Most vaccinations this year will be tetravalent, meaning they will protect against four (not three) different types of flu. Current versions of the vaccine include:
- Conventional needle-administered vaccines (trivalent or tetravalent).
- Conventional vaccines are delivered using a jet injector that is pressed against your hand and pushes a stream of vaccine through your skin. (You can watch avideo of someone getting this type of vaccine here .)
- For older people (whose immune systems also do not respond to the usual vaccine), high-dose flu shots and adjuvant flu shots.
- The nasal spray is back .
The intradermal vaccine , which comes with a tiny needle under the skin, is not available this year. Sorry.
The nasal spray (sprayed into the nose instead of into the arm) has been largely unavailable for the past two seasons after studies showed it did not provide sufficient protection. He is now back, although the American Academy of Pediatrics notes that they recommend nasal injections for children.
So if you can get a needle, you probably should – or look for a “needleless” flu clinic that uses a jet injector. But if you have such a severe fear of the needle that you would otherwise miss the shot, then a nasal spray is better than nothing.
However, not everyone can get the spray because it is made differently from other vaccines. The nasal spray contains live viruses, but they have been modified so they are weakened, and they also cannot survive at body temperature, so they cannot infect your lungs. But since you are technically infected with the virus when you receive a nasal vaccine, the CDC recommends not using this option if you are pregnant, if you are 50 or older, or if you have a weakened immune system or conditions that make you more vulnerable to infection. Read about these precautions here .
Can’t a flu shot give me the flu?
How much is it?
Usually nothing. According to the ACA, your insurance company is required to cover flu vaccines at no additional cost (no deductible, no co-insurance, nothing). Just double check with the clinic that your insurance covers their facility and the specific vaccine that is being used; they should cover flu vaccines and not every flu vaccine.
If you really need to pay out of pocket, vaccinated against the flu costs about 30 dollars , but it depends on the brand and pharmacies. High-dose shots can be more expensive.
Does it matter when I receive it?
Good now. The best time is “at least two weeks before someone coughs up your flu germs,” but this is difficult to predict. Mid October is ideal because flu cases often start to rise in early November.
If your child is getting the flu shot for the first time, they will need two doses four weeks apart. You’ll want to start this process in September as they won’t be fully protected until the second shot – but again, better late than never.
If you get vaccinated in November or later, you may cough before the vaccine gives you superpowers. However, a late shot is still better than no shot, and you can even get the shot towards the end of the flu season if you still have supplies.
If you already got the vaccine in September, no big deal. Vaccine protection diminishes over time, but it’s not enough to make a big difference to most of us.
Update: As we were told by an AstraZeneca spokesperson, the nasal spray has not been “discontinued” as we originally put it. It so happened that the ACIP, the committee that decides which vaccines are recommended, decided not to recommend the nasal spray in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 . It was technically still available. An AstraZeneca spokesman said that “the company has made a limited amount of the product available in response to requests for a vaccine from US healthcare providers and has provided full transparency on the ACIP recommendations for use.”
Also, it is the AAP, not the CDC, that recommends an injection instead of a nasal spray. We are sorry for the mistake.