It’s time to roll up sleeves for new COVID, flu shots
「新しいCOVID-19およびインフルエンザワクチン接種の準備をする時期です」
It’s time to roll up sleeves for new COVID, flu shots
September 26, 2024 (Mainichi Japan)
A pharmacist holds a COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in New York, on Sept. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fall means it’s time for just about everybody to get up to date on their flu and COVID-19 vaccines – and a lot of older adults also need protection against another risky winter virus, RSV.
Yes, you can get your flu and COVID-19 shots at the same time. Don’t call them boosters — they’re not just another dose of last year’s protection. The coronavirus and influenza are escape artists that constantly mutate to evade your body’s immune defenses, so both vaccines are reformulated annually to target newer strains.
“Right now is the best time” to get all the recommended fall vaccinations, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as she got her flu shot Wednesday. She has an appointment for her COVID-19 shot, too. It’s “the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself, your family, your community.”
While they’re not perfect, vaccinations offer strong protection against a bad case of flu or COVID-19 — or dying from it.
“It may not prevent every infection but those infections are going to be less severe,” said CDC’s Dr. Demetre Daskalakis. “I would rather have my grandmother or my great-grandmother have a sniffle than have to go to the emergency room on Thanksgiving.”
The challenge: Getting more Americans to roll up their sleeves. Last year, just 45% of adults got a flu vaccination and even fewer, 23%, got a COVID-19 shot. A survey released Wednesday by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases shows an equally low number intend to this fall.
And the coronavirus still killed more Americans than flu last year.
“Maybe we believe that it’s not going to be me but let’s not take a chance,” said Dr. Michael Knight of George Washington University. “Why not get a vaccine that’s going to help you reduce that risk?”
Who needs a fall COVID-19 or flu vaccination?
The CDC urges both an updated COVID-19 shot and yearly flu vaccine for everyone ages 6 months and older. If you recently had COVID-19, you can wait two or three months but still should get an updated vaccination because of the expected winter surge.
Both viruses can be especially dangerous to certain groups including older people and those with weak immune systems and lung or heart disease. Young children also are more vulnerable. The CDC counted 199 child deaths from flu last year.
Pregnancy also increases the chances of serious COVID-19 or flu – and vaccination guards mom plus ensures the newborn has some protection, too.
What’s new about the COVID-19 shots?
Last fall’s shots targeted a coronavirus strain that’s no longer spreading while this year’s are tailored to a new section of the coronavirus family tree. The Pfizer and Moderna shots are formulated against a virus subtype called KP.2 while the Novavax vaccine targets its parent strain, JN.1. Daskalakis said all should offer good cross protection to other subtypes now spreading.
The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines can be used by adults and children as young as 6 months. The Novavax shot is a more traditional protein vaccine combined with an immune booster, and open to anyone 12 and older.
Which flu vaccine to choose?
High-dose shots and one with a special immune booster are designed for people 65 and older, but if they can’t find one easily they can choose a regular all-ages flu shot.
For the shot-averse, the nasal spray FluMist is available for ages 2 to 49 at pharmacies and clinics — although next year it’s set to be available for use at home.
All flu vaccinations this year will guard against two Type A flu strains and one Type B strain. Another once-common form of Type B flu quit spreading a few years ago and was removed from the vaccine.
What about that other virus, RSV?
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a coldlike nuisance for most people but it, too, packs hospitals every winter and can be deadly for children under 5, the elderly and people with certain high-risk health problems.
The CDC recommends an RSV vaccination for everyone 75 and older, and for people 60 to 74 who are at increased risk. This is a one-time shot, not a yearly vaccination – but only 24% of seniors got it last year. It’s also recommended late in pregnancy to protect babies born during the fall and winter.
And while “your arm may hurt and you may feel crummy for a day,” it’s also fine to get the RSV, flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time, Daskalakis said.
What will it cost?
The vaccines are supposed to be free under Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans if people use an in-network provider.
About 1.5 million uninsured adults got free COVID-19 vaccinations through a federal program last year but that has ended. Instead, the CDC is providing $62 million to health departments to help improve access — and states and large cities are starting to roll out their plans.
Call your local health department to ask about options because in many areas, “availability of vaccine at lower or no cost is expected to trickle in over the next couple of weeks,” advised Dr. Raynard Washington, who heads the Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, health department.
Check the government website, vaccines.gov, for availability at local pharmacies.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
roll up sleeves roʊl ʌp sliːvz 腕まくりをする、準備する
COVID-19 ˈkoʊvɪd naɪnˈtiːn 新型コロナウイルス
flu fluː インフルエンザ
shots ʃɑts ワクチン接種
pharmacist ˈfɑːrməsɪst 薬剤師
vaccine vækˈsiːn ワクチン
protection prəˈtɛkʃən 保護
virus ˈvaɪrəs ウイルス
mutate ˈmjuːteɪt 変異する
immune defenses ɪˈmjuːn dɪˈfɛnsɪz 免疫防御
reformulated riːˈfɔːrmjʊˌleɪtɪd 再配合された
recommended ˌrɛkəˈmɛndɪd 推奨された
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) ˈsɛntərz fɔr dɪˈziːz kənˈtroʊl 疾病予防管理センター（米国）
vaccinations ˌvæksəˈneɪʃənz ワクチン接種
severe sɪˈvɪr 深刻な
emergency room ɪˈmɜrʤənsi ruːm 緊急治療室
survey ˈsɜːrveɪ 調査
Coronavirus kəˈroʊnəˌvaɪrəs コロナウイルス
high-risk health problems haɪ-rɪsk hɛlθ ˈprɑbləmz 高リスクの健康問題
influenza ˌɪnfluˈɛnzə インフルエンザ
pregnant ˈprɛɡnənt 妊娠中の
strains streɪnz （ウイルスなどの）株
nasal spray ˈneɪzəl spreɪ 鼻スプレー
RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) ˌɑrɛsˈviː 呼吸器合胞体ウイルス（RSV）
protein vaccine ˈproʊˌtin vækˈsiːn タンパク質ワクチン
uninsured ʌnɪnˈʃʊrd 保険のない
in-network provider ɪn-ˈnɛtwɜrk prəˈvaɪdər ネットワーク内プロバイダー
medicare ˈmɛdɪˌkɛr メディケア（高齢者・障害者向けの公的医療保険制度）
medicaid ˈmɛdɪˌkeɪd メディケイド（低所得者向けの公的医療保険制度）
availability əˌveɪləˈbɪlɪti 利用可能性
local health department ˈloʊkəl hɛlθ dɪˈpɑrtmənt 地方の保健所
FluMist ˈfluːmɪst 鼻スプレー式のインフルエンザワクチン
howard Hughes Medical Institute ˈhaʊərd hjuːz ˈmɛdɪkəl ˈɪnstɪtjuːt ハワード・ヒューズ医学研究所
「新しいCOVID-19およびインフルエンザワクチン接種の準備をする時期です」 2024年9月26日（毎日新聞日本）
薬剤師がCOVID-19ワクチンを持っています（2024年9月24日、ニューヨークの薬局にて）（AP写真/Mary Conlon）
ワシントン（AP） — 秋は、ほとんど全員がインフルエンザとCOVID-19ワクチンの接種を最新にする時期です。多くの高齢者は、もう一つの冬にリスクを伴うウイルスであるRSVに対する保護も必要です。
はい、インフルエンザとCOVID-19のワクチンは同時に接種できます。それらを「ブースター」とは呼びません ― これは昨年の保護を単にもう一度受けるわけではありません。コロナウイルスやインフルエンザは、常に変異して体の免疫防御を回避するため、両方のワクチンは毎年新しい株に合わせて再調整されます。
「今が、すべての秋の推奨ワクチンを接種するための最良の時期です」と、疾病予防管理センター（CDC）のディレクターであるマンディ・コーエン博士は、インフルエンザの予防接種を受けながら言いました。彼女はCOVID-19ワクチンの接種も予約しています。「自分自身、家族、コミュニティを守るためにできる最も効果的なことです。」
完璧ではありませんが、ワクチン接種はインフルエンザやCOVID-19の重篤な症状や死亡を防ぐ強力な保護を提供します。「すべての感染を防ぐわけではありませんが、その感染はより軽くなるでしょう」とCDCのデメトレ・ダスカラキス博士は言いました。「祖母や曾祖母が感冒程度で済むなら、感謝祭に救急室に行くよりずっと良いです。」
課題は、より多くのアメリカ人がワクチン接種に応じることです。昨年は、成人の45%しかインフルエンザワクチンを接種しておらず、さらに少ない23%がCOVID-19ワクチンを接種しました。9月27日に発表された国立感染症財団（NFID）の調査によれば、今年秋に接種する予定の人の数も同様に低いです。
コロナウイルスは昨年、インフルエンザより多くのアメリカ人を死亡させました。「自分には関係ないと思うかもしれませんが、チャンスを逃さないようにしましょう」とジョージ・ワシントン大学のマイケル・ナイト博士は言います。「リスクを減らすために役立つワクチンをなぜ受けないのですか？」
誰が秋のCOVID-19またはインフルエンザワクチンを必要としていますか？
CDCは、生後6か月以上のすべての人に、最新のCOVID-19ワクチンと毎年のインフルエンザワクチンの両方を推奨しています。
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