BUFFALO (WKBW) — October is here, and flu season is right around the corner. 7 News Anchor Jeff Russo spoke with Dr. Timothy Murphy, an infectious disease expert, and a Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University at Buffalo, about flu shots and the flu season forecast.
"October is probably the optimal time to get a flu vaccine," says Dr. Murphy. "Flu season can occur any time between October and March, but can be even extended into May, Dr. Murphy added. "The flu shot is quite effective at reducing your likely hood of you getting the flu, and importantly, it reduces the severity of the illness."
Jeff Russo: With Covid-19 over the last couple of years, how does that complicate things in terms of what we might see from this flu season?
Dr. Murphy: Yes, Covid-19 complicates all respiratory infections that we are seeing now. What happened was in the first couple of years in 2020, and 2021, we saw very little influenza, likely from all the mitigation measures that we took during Covid. It makes it rather unpredictable. One of the ways that we try and predict what it will look like is looking at the Southern Hemisphere where they have their winter six months before we do. If we look at Australia this year the flu peak occurred earlier. It was a high peak. It disproportionately effected children and teens. But the illness appeared not to be more severe or less severe. That is a guess. That doesn't mean that the same thing will happen here that happened in the Southern Hemisphere.
Jeff Russo: How do we tie flu shots in with Covid boosters? Can people get them the same day, at the same time? Or should they spread them out?
Dr. Murphy: It's perfectly fine to get both shots on the same day. Flu shot, and Covid shot. Many experts are saying that it's a good idea because it's two for the price of one. You do it in one trip and get it over with. Now is a good time to get the new bivalent booster. It's possible your reaction could be a little strong with two vaccines. Two shots instead of one. But you are trading a day or two of discomfort for protecting you from potentially two very serious diseases.
