PAGE 10 / NOVEMBER 2022
Why Dual Vaccines Matter
With flu season now officially underway, the Missouri
Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is
encouraging Missourians to get a flu shot and a
COVID-19 vaccine or booster, if eligible.
The CDC has recommended that people 65 years
and older get a high-dose flu vaccine this season.
Individuals can receive flu and COVID-19 vaccines in
the same visit but are encouraged to check with the
provider first to ensure there is available inventory.
Both the COVID-19 and flu vaccines are safe and
effective, and have been shown to reduce the risk of
serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
"We encourage everyone to get a flu shot to protect
themselves and their loved ones against flu –
especially those who are considered high-risk for
serious complications," said Paula Nickelson, acting
director of DHSS. "It is important that Missourians visit
a flu clinic or their primary health care provider soon
as it can take two weeks for the vaccine to begin
working."
On Oct. 14, DHSS began its statewide surveillance
reporting for the 2022-2023 flu season. Weekly data
reports are published each Friday and include the
number of diagnosed influenza cases, influenza-like
illness visits to the ER, and flu-related hospitalizations
across Missouri. From October 2-8, 80
laboratory-confirmed flu cases were reported in
Missouri (as compared to 28 cases during the same
time period in 2021). Currently, the highest rate of
infections is among the youngest children aged 0-4.
"It is important for parents to know that while their
young children may have a lower risk of severe
illness from COVID-19, young children are at higher
risk of developing serious flu-related complications,"
said Nickelson.
In addition to young children, high-risk individuals
also include:
• Adults 65 years and older.
• Pregnant individuals.
• Children with underlying medical conditions.
• And individuals with these conditions: asthma,
heart disease or stroke, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and/or
cancer.
The flu can be very serious. Each year, hundreds of
thousands of individuals are hospitalized, while
thousands die from flu-related illnesses. The most
common symptoms of flu are fever, cough and sore
throat. Other symptoms include body aches,
headaches, chills, runny nose and fatigue. Not
everyone will experience the same symptoms, and it
is important to stay home if you are experiencing
any of these symptoms. Seek medical assistance if
you have trouble breathing, or if your symptoms
worsen. Those who are in a high-risk group and
experience flu-like symptoms should contact their
primary health care provider.
"Now is also a great time to get up-to-date on your
COVID-19 shots especially since they can be taken
care of in the same visit," said Nickelson.
COVID-19 is Still a Thing
Bivalent vaccines just became available for adults
last month, and the reformatted dose became
available for those as young as age 5 last week. The
bivalent boosters both target two versions of
SARS-CoV-2, the ancestral virus that caused COVID-19
– the original strain of the virus and two of the
Omicron subvariants (BA.4 and BA.5), which are
currently the most widespread variants globally.
According to a recent Commonwealth Fund study, it
was estimated that "a fall booster vaccination
campaign reaching coverage similar to the
2020–2021 influenza vaccination (scenario 1) would
prevent more than 75,000 deaths and more than
745,000 hospitalizations and generate savings of $44
billion associated with direct medical costs by the
end of March 2023, compared to the baseline. An
even more successful campaign (scenario 2) would
prevent approximately 90,000 deaths, more than
936,000 hospitalizations, and avert $56 billion in
direct medical costs over the course of the next six
months, compared with the baseline scenario."
The report continues, "If vaccination continued at its
current pace through the end of March 2023, a
potential winter surge in COVID-19 infections could
result in a peak of around 16,000 hospitalizations and
1,200 deaths per day by March 2023. Under both
scenarios modeled, the study showed an aggressive
fall booster vaccination campaign could prevent
COVID-19 deaths from exceeding 400 per day."
Get the Shot
Flu vaccines are now widely available, and it is
recommended annually for everyone 6 months and
older. Contact your health care provider, or find a
location near you for either vaccine at Vaccines.gov.
Last month, DHSS launched a flu public awareness
campaign for social media, online and digital
platforms and billboards across the state to
encourage Missourians to "stick it to the flu" to
protect themselves, their families and their
communities. A toolkit of materials for spreading this
message can be found here and is available for
public use.
For more information about flu in Missouri, visit
MOStopsFlu.com.
If you recently had COVID-19, you may consider
delaying your next vaccine dose (primary dose or
booster) by 3 months from when your symptoms
started or, if you had no symptoms, when you first
received a positive test.
People who are moderately or severely
immunocompromised have different
recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.
