Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick.
- The Center for Disease Control (CDC)
FLU FACTS
SEASONAL FLU ACTIVITY
The flu can begin as early as October
and continue through as late as May.
ANNUAL US HOSPITALIZATIONS FROM FLU
With a flu shot, we can reduce the toll on our health care systems this fall.
FLU VIRUS LIFESPAN
Flu viruses live up to 48 hours on hard,
non-porous surfaces such as stainless steel
and up to 12 hours on cloth and tissues.
The CDC recommends annual flu shots for
everyone six months of age and older.
Bartell’s pharmacists can immunize children 3 years of age and older.
ABOUT YOUR VISIT
On the date of your appointment, we recommend you wear loose fitting clothing with easy access to your upper arms. Please also wear your mask, as this will be required for your flu shot. Plan to arrive five minutes before your appointment and check in at our pharmacy drop off counter. If you have no copay, we’ll take your right to our designated room, conduct a health screening, administer your shot, and you’ll be all set. Note that for health and safety reasons we will only allow patients and their guardians in our consult rooms.
DID YOU KNOW?
Children under 5 years of age, adults 65 years and older, pregnant women, and people with certain chronic medical conditions may be at higher risk of developing pneumonia or serious complications from the flu.
Non-Flu Vaccinations
Did you know? Your Bartell pharmacist is certified to administer all the necessary vaccinations for you and your family. We’re also happy to answer any of your questions, or address concerns. Simply give us a call or stop on by the pharmacy counter when you’re next in store.
Flu vaccine facts
Flu vaccines have an excellent safety record, do not cause flu, and can protect the ones you love.
Even healthy people need a flu vaccine.
Even healthy people can get sick enough to miss work or school for a significant amount of time or even be hospitalized. Flu vaccines are recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older. Pregnant people, young children, older people, and people with certain chronic medical conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart disease are at increased risk of serious flu-related complications, so getting a yearly flu vaccine is especially important for them.
Is the flu vaccine safe?
Yes. Flu vaccines have an excellent safety record. They have been given to hundreds of millions of people for more than 50 years. Each year, CDC works closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other partners to ensure the highest safety standards for flu vaccines. Flu vaccines cannot cause flu illness; however, they can cause mild side effects that may be mistaken for flu.
I don’t need a flu shot. Even if I get sick, won’t I recover quickly?
Not necessarily. Influenza can be serious and anyone can become sick with flu and experience severe complications. But even if you bounce back quickly, others around you might not be so lucky. Don’t be the one spreading flu to those you care about.
Can’t I wait and get vaccinated when/if flu hits my community?
It is best to get vaccinated before flu begins to spread. It takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to provide full protection, so the sooner you get vaccinated, the more likely it is that you will be fully protected once flu begins to circulate in your community.
Flu vaccines can’t give you the flu.
Even if you got a flu vaccine, there are reasons why you might still get flu or a flu-like illness.
• You may have been exposed to a non-flu virus before or after you got vaccinated. The flu vaccine can only prevent illnesses caused by flu viruses. It cannot protect against non-flu viruses that may cause flu-like illness.
• You might have been exposed to flu after you got vaccinated but before the vaccine took effect. It takes about two weeks after you receive the vaccine for your body to build protection against the flu.
• You may have been exposed to an influenza virus that was very different from the viruses included in that year’s vaccine. The flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be the most common during the upcoming season, but there can be other flu viruses circulating.
Don’t avoid getting a flu vaccine because you don’t like shots.
The very minor pain of a flu shot is nothing compared to the suffering that can be caused by the flu. The flu can make you very sick for several days, send you to the hospital, or worse. If you’d still prefer to avoid a shot, ask your Bartell’s pharmacist about the nasal spray flu vaccine. It’s a great vaccination option for most healthy, non-pregnant people ages 2 through 49 years old who don’t like shots.
Do I need to get a flu vaccine every year?
Yes! Flu viruses are constantly changing and flu vaccines are typically updated yearly to protect against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming flu season.