Thread: 2020 flu season

My doctor's office will be getting the flu vaccine in the middle of October. My wife and I have appointments for Oct. 21 to get our shots. Then we plan to go vote early.

This year, if you get the flu, or even a bad cold, people are going to assume you have COVID and ask you to quarantine for two weeks. To avoid that inconvenience, it is best to stay completely healthy this winter, even more so than usual.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Probably get ours this weekend when my son is back in town. I never got the flu shot until I had the nephrectomy. Dr. says I have to get it now because the weeks of taking nsads could be detrimental to the remaining kidney.

I was going to like this Paul but i didn't want you to think I was liking your kidney issue.

My daughter and I got our flu shots at a "drive-thru". Show your ID, stick your arm out the window,
get the injection, drive away.

My daughter got the normal dose, I got the O.F.'s special.

Few weeks ago

Our Pharmacy offers them free with any Prescription filled

I don't think that I have ever had a flu vaccine. The last time I can remember getting the flu was over twenty years ago, maybe 30 years ago... It's just not one of those things that I worry about much.

Originally Posted by DVW

I don't think that I have ever had a flu vaccine. The last time I can remember getting the flu was over twenty years ago, maybe 30 years ago... It's just not one of those things that I worry about much.

One thing to consider is that getting the flu shot is like wearing a mask for Covid 19 in that you may prevent others from getting it from you. Also, you really don't want to get the seasonal flu on top of possibly Covid 19. Lastly anything to keep the ERs and ICU wards less crowded so they can handle serious Covid 19 cases without running out of room and resources. So, really it is not just about you.

Bob

I'm just not convinced that it works or is helpful. My friend gets her shot every year, and almost every year she gets the flu. She is retired on a remote farm and is home 90 percent of the time. I see way more people throughout the week than she does. I can see three possible reasons why she gets the flu.

1. The vaccine was for a different strain than the one she happened to contract.
2. The vaccine did not work, and she still contracted it during one of her few trips to town.
3. The vaccine was not "dead" and actually gave her the flu.

Either way, she still got the flu. Her experiences combined with my personal experiences give me no good reason to believe that they increase my chances of not getting the flu. She is not the only person that I have seen come down with the flu after receiving the shot. She is but one example. It has happened enough to the people around me that I have concluded that I'm better off simply washing my hands, avoiding people who are sick and not getting the vaccine. If I get the flu, then I will stay home until I get better. Same with COVID-19. I have always had that approach and COVID-19 has not changed my opinion or my approach to trying to stay healthy. I have nothing against people getting the vaccine, I just personally don't see a benefit from it.

Not yet, no; but I'll be up at the VA right after Election Day, and plan to get it when I'm there.

Originally Posted by DVW

I'm just not convinced that it works or is helpful. My friend gets her shot every year, and almost every year she gets the flu. She is retired on a remote farm and is home 90 percent of the time. I see way more people throughout the week than she does. I can see three possible reasons why she gets the flu.

1. The vaccine was for a different strain than the one she happened to contract.
2. The vaccine did not work, and she still contracted it during one of her few trips to town.
3. The vaccine was not "dead" and actually gave her the flu.

Either way, she still got the flu. Her experiences combined with my personal experiences give me no good reason to believe that they increase my chances of not getting the flu. She is not the only person that I have seen come down with the flu after receiving the shot. She is but one example. It has happened enough to the people around me that I have concluded that I'm better off simply washing my hands, avoiding people who are sick and not getting the vaccine. If I get the flu, then I will stay home until I get better. Same with COVID-19. I have always had that approach and COVID-19 has not changed my opinion or my approach to trying to stay healthy. I have nothing against people getting the vaccine, I just personally don't see a benefit from it.

Wow. I have never seen/met anyone that gets influenza every year. If she really swabs positive for it, and it's not just a cold, then that's pretty intense.

Originally Posted by alex1921

Wow. I have never seen/met anyone that gets influenza every year. If she really swabs positive for it, and it's not just a cold, then that's pretty intense.

I can't tell you if she swabs positive for it or if they just diagnose her based on her symptoms. Needless to say, she is getting pretty tired of it. She is starting to suspect that the shots are actually giving her the flu, and is going to opt out of the vaccine this time around. Perhaps her body is more susceptible to it than most people and the vaccine is actually causing her to have symptoms. Most vaccines are not actually dead virus'. They are weakened forms of the virus. She may have a weaker immune system that can not fight off the virus, even in its weakened state. Taking a vaccine comes with a risk, and so does not taking it. This is why it is a personal choice.