Here's why experts say now is an ideal time to protect yourself from flu
It’s October and time for flu shots. Medical experts urge getting a flu vaccination soon, before influenza starts spreading widely — and to get up to date on protection against other fall respiratory viruses, too. Updated COVID-19 shots are available now, plus shots for people especially vulnerable to another winter risk called RSV. While these infections make many people feel miserable for a few days before they recover, every year flu alone causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations in the U.S. and kills tens of thousands. Vaccination isn’t “a guarantee that we’re going to prevent illness. But just like the seat belt in your car, it decreases risk” of the worst outcomes, said Dr. Ryan Stanton of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Fall vaccine advice usually comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its independent advisory panel. But this year that panel, which influences state and insurance vaccine policies, is caught in a court battle and the CDC hasn't updated its flu advice. Now doctors’ groups are filling the gap: the American Acad
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