Get the shot, not the flu, especially this year

Locals seem to be heeding the fervent advice of health experts to get a flu shot this year. The King Soopers pharmacy in Gunbarrel went through three batches of flu vaccines by the end of August, according to a pharmacy employee. That doesn't usually happen until early October.

Public health experts are advocating flu shots more than usual, worried that the normal seasonal flu hospitalizations combined with COVID-19 patients could overburden the health system's ability to handle both respiratory illnesses. Health experts anticipate that the pandemic will get worse with cold weather as people spend more time indoors where it can be harder to socially distance and there is less ventilation than outdoors.

The flu revs up in the fall and peaks between December and February, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The agency estimates that between 39 million and 56 million people got the flu last year, that 410,000 - 740,000 people were hospitalized and 24,000 - 62,000 died.

Another reason flu vaccines are more important this year is the role it will play in helping the nation gear up for an anticipated COVID-19 vaccine. "There is lots of discussion about using flu season to get lessons learned for innovative ways, which we might be able to allocate a COVID vaccine," said Stephanie Wasserman, executive director of Immunize Colorado. "They are very connected and there is a real sense of urgency around protecting people with the flu vaccine but also standing up these models that can be used to help us learn."

In August, the state formed a Joint Vaccination Planning Team to look at how to deal with the anticipated COVID-19 vaccination. Wasserman said health experts are looking at a variety of questions about how vaccines will be distributed and administered to large numbers of people, including how to vaccinate efficiently, cost effectively and how to maintain social distance during the process. "It's going to require some thinking out of the box," she said. That includes pop-up clinics, doing more employer-based clinics, drive through immunization clinics and other ideas.

Immunize Colorado is one of many organizations trying to improve Colorado's vaccination rate even when it isn't a pandemic. She said they are always working on how to get the message out about the importance of vaccinations, but there is specific attention being given about how to communicate with the public about a COVID vaccine when the time comes.

One of the strategies being used by Immunize Colorado is to educate healthcare providers. In May they held a webinar for 300 providers who learned from vaccine developers associated with Colorado State University.

Colorado doesn't have a great record when it comes to vaccinations. The state has routinely been at or near the bottom of the list of states for the percentage of children that are vaccinated. Wasserman said Colorado has been making progress, but the pandemic caused a setback. Vaccination rates are down partly because of stay-at-home orders, child care issues, loss of jobs and insurance, and other factors. If preventable diseases get worse, that could be another weight on the healthcare system during the pandemic and create more suffering.

Wasserman said Colorado's low childhood vaccination rates are due to a variety of factors. Rural communities and lower income families struggle with access to health care and a small segment of higher income families challenge the safety of vaccines despite assurances from major American medical societies and government agencies that vaccinations are a safe, important part of routine pediatric care.

A new law addressing childhood vaccinations went into law in Colorado in June. It adds extra steps for parents who want to opt out of vaccinating their children. Wasserman said the law's intent is to equalize the effort it takes to get a child vaccinated versus opting out. Until now, she said it has been simple to opt out.

Colorado is also below the national average for flu vaccinations. According to the CDC, 54% of Americans over the age of six months got a flu shot in the 2018/2019 season while 51.6% of Coloradoans got one.

Flu vaccines can be given as young as six months and are recommended throughout a person's life unless they have severe allergic reactions to any of the ingredients in the shot.

Health providers now encourage people over 65 to get a high-dose flu vaccine. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found the more potent dose boosted antibody response in older adults who don't have as robust an immune response as younger people. This is important, since older people account for 70% - 85% of flu deaths and 50% - 70% of hospitalizations, according to the CDC. COVID-19 has shown to be more deadly for older people as well.

If you are planning to get a flu shot, don't wait too long. It takes two weeks to take effect and there are only a certain number of doses produced each year. King Soopers in Gunbarrel is already out of the higher dose vaccines for older people and won't be getting more this season, according to a pharmacy employee. Vaccine manufacturers report that up to 198 million doses will be available this year as opposed to 175 million last year.

There are a lot of places to get a flu shot, including primary care doctors, pediatricians, health clinics, hospitals and community health centers. Grocery stores and pharmacies provide flu vaccines for "free" for those with insurance. For those without insurance, Costco offers them for $19.99. Boulder County Public Health charges $21.50, but won't turn any child away if the family can't pay. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment also has a lia list of free sites around the state.