WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone aged 6 months and older must receive an updated 2024-2025 Covid-19 vaccine and flu vaccine to protect against the potentially serious threat of the viral disease and flu this fall and winter whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated.
CDC said updated Covid-19 vaccines will be available from Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer later this year.
CDC advises that it is safe to receive Covid and flu vaccines at the same visit.
The virus that causes Covid-19 and Sars-CoV-2 is always changing and protection from vaccines declines over time. Receiving an updated 2024-2025 Covid vaccine can restore and enhance protection against the virus variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States, according to CDC. COVID vaccination also reduces the chance of suffering the effects of Long Covid, which can develop during or following acute infection and last for an extended duration.
Last season, people who received a 2023-2024 Covid vaccine saw greater protection against illness and hospitalization than those who did not receive it, CDC says.
While CDC recommends flu vaccination as long as influenza viruses are circulating, September and October remain the best times for most people to get vaccinated. Flu vaccination in July and August is not recommended for most people, but there are several considerations regarding vaccination during those months for specific groups.
CDC says that data continue to show the importance of vaccination to protect against severe outcomes of Covid-19 and flu, including hospitalization and death. In 2023, more than 916,300 people were hospitalized due to Covid and more than 75,500 people died from the pandemic. During the 2023-2024 flu season, more than 44,900 people are estimated to have died from flu complications.
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