Should I Get The Flu Shot Every Year?

The yearly flu season is accompanied by the push for flu shots. A viewer asks if they should get vaccinated yearly, Dr. Lacy Anderson answers.

The short answer is yes. It is recommended that everyone 6 months or older receive a flu vaccine once a year, unless your doctor recommends against it. 

If you have an allergy to the flu vaccine, you should avoid it. But for the rest of us, it is recommended. 

Before the pandemic, the U.S. averaged between 40,000-50,000 deaths related to influenza each year. During the coronavirus pandemic, this number dropped drastically to 25,000 deaths yearly because people were wearing masks. That number dropped to under 20,000 in 2022.

Now, people are more willing to wear masks and stay home when they are sick now, due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The people most at risk of death and hospitalization from influenza are children under age five and people over 65, so these populations should try to get vaccinated for flu. Medical workers should also be sure to get vaccinated because they can’t take care of sick patients if they’re home sick. 

Talk to a doctor if you have questions.