SEASONAL. RICH IS BACK IN FLU SE AROUND THE CORNER OFFICIALLY. AND THERE’S NEW ADVICE FOR
SENIORS, AMERICANS 65 AND
OLDER. THAT ADVICE IS YOU
SHOULD GET NEWER. SOUPED UP
FLU VACCINES LIE BECAUSE THE
REGULAR FLU VACCINES JUST
DON’T PROVIDE ENOUGH
PROTECTION. TURNING ON THE
MORNING SHOW, DOCTOR COULD TOO
GOT YOU SINCE THE ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR OF INFECTIOUS
DISEASES BAPTIST HEALTH. HEY,
GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE. SO
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BASICS
HERE. IS IT THAT MANY SENIORS
TEND TO HAVE THE WEAKENED
IMMUNE SYSTEMS AND
>> THE REGULAR FLU SHOT JUST
DOESN’T PROVIDE ENOUGH OWN.
>> I WOULDN’T SAY THAT THE
REGULAR FLU SHOTS AREN’T GOOD
ENOUGH. IT’S JUST THAT WE HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO MUCH
BETTER. SO WHAT WE KNOW IS
THAT IF YOU ARE OVER 65 YOUR
IMMUNITY, DECREASES YOUR
IMMUNITY DECREASES WITH AGE.
SO WE KNOW THAT WE ALSO KNOW
THAT SENIORS ARE ALL THOSE
OVER 65 HAVE THE GREATEST
COMPLICATIONS RELATED TO THE
FLU. SO EVEN THOUGH FLU
SEASONS HAVE VARIED IN THE
RECENT YEARS WE’VE SEEN THAT
70 TO 85% OF DEATHS RELATED TO
FLU HAVE BEEN IN THIS AGE
GROUP OVER 65 AND 50 TO 70% OF
HOSPITALIZATIONS HAVE BEEN IN
THIS.
>> EACH GROUP OVER 75. SO I
KNOW THAT SOME OF THE FLU SHOT
THE REGULAR FLU SHOT RESULTS
HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT
DISAPPOINTING. HAVE YOU FOUND
THAT WITH THIS NEW SOUPED UP
FLU VACCINE? THE RESULTS HAVE
BEEN A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
>> YES, SO FIRST EXPLAINING
WHAT THEY ARE THE SOUPED UP
VACCINES. WHAT THAT MEANS IS
THAT THEY HIGH-DOSE
QUADRIVALENT RECOMBINANT OR
RECOMBINANT VACCINE OR AT
EVENT. AND MAXINE. SO WHAT
THAT MEANS IS THAT THE VACCINE
HAS 43 TIMES MORE ANTIGEN,
WHICH IS WHAT MAKES MAKES
PEOPLE HAVE THEIR IMMUNE
RESPONSE OR SOMETHING CALLED
AN AD DIDN’T WHICH IS AN
ADDITIVE THAT MAKES PEOPLE
HAVE A BETTER RESPONSE. AND
STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT IN
THIS OVER 65 POPULATION, THESE
HIGH DOSE OR AGILE VENTED
VACCINES.
>> PRODUCE A BETTER RESPONSE.
SO PEOPLE SOMETIMES SEE THAT 3
TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE USUALLY
COVERED BY INSURANCE, USUALLY
COVERED BY INSURANCE. SO
MEDICARE COVERS ARE STANDARD
FLU SOON QUADRO VALENT
VACCINE. BUT THE WHOLE POINT
IS THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON
IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES VOTED
AND NOW IT NEEDS TO BECOME
OFFICIAL BY THE DIRECTOR. BUT
ONCE THIS HAPPENS, THESE WON’T
JUST BE OPTIONS OR
ALTERNATIVES FOR INDIVIDUALS
OVER 65 WILL BE THE STANDARD
PRACTICE. SO PHARMACIES WILL
GIVE IT AND ALL INSURANCES
WILL COVER IT. AND THERE’S
THIS WHOLE THING OUT THERE
RIGHT NOW ABOUT VACCINES AND
PEOPLE ARE HESITANT.
>> ARE YOU WORRIED THAT PEOPLE
WILL NOT GO OUT AND GET THE
FLU SHOT AS A RESULT OF ALL
THE MYTHS THAT ARE OUT THERE
IN THE WORRIES ABOUT OTHER
VACCINES.
>> THAT’S THAT ALWAYS. MY
WORRY IS THAT PEOPLE WHO GET
VACCINES AS THE SHED. YOU
KNOW, WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT
SOMETIMES BECAUSE WE HAVE
COVID INDIVIDUALS PRIORITIZE
COVID VACCINES AND THEN KIND
OF GET COVID AND VACCINE AND
I’LL GET THE BOOSTER AND THEN
PUT FLUID THAT DOWN AT THE
BOTTOM. THAT SHOULDN’T BE WHAT
HAPPENS OR PEOPLE ARE FATIGUED
ABOUT HEARING VACCINE. SO YOU
CAN GET A COVID VACCINE OR
BOOSTER WITH THE FLU SHOT. SO
I DO RECOMMEND THAT BECAUSE
THEN YOU’RE DONE AND SO IS
GOING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, I
GUESS I HEAR THAT THE OPTIMUM
TIME TO GO AND GET THE FLU
SHOT MIGHT BE AUGUST OR
SEPTEMBER. YOU KNOW, RIGHT
BEFORE FLU SEASON STARTS AND
MODERNA AND PFIZER ARE
REPORTEDLY COMING OUT WITH A
NEW VACCINE THAT SUPPOSED TO
BE MORE EFFECTIVE WITH OMICRON
MAY BE BEST TO JUST GO AHEAD
AND GET THE COVID VACCINE IN
THE FLU SHOT OF THE SAME TIME.
SO FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU’RE DUE
FOR A BOOSTER YOU KNOW.
>> THE BEST TIME TO GET THE
FLU SHOT IS PROBABLY SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER RIGHT BEFORE SO THAT
YOUR IMMUNITY DOESN’T MEAN AND
THEN CERTAINLY IF WE HAVE NEW
VACCINES THAT COME UP AND WE
DON’T KNOW YET. IT WOULD
CERTAINLY BE ADVISABLE TO GET
THEM TOGETHER. AND FLU SEASON
LAST YEAR WASN’T TERRIBLE. SO
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
MIGHT BE SITTING ON THE FENCE
FOR THE REGULAR FLU VACCINE.
YOUR ADVICE TO THEM? YOU KNOW,
EVERYONE OVER 6 MONTHS SHOULD
GET THE FLU VACCINE, PERIOD.
YOU SHOULD GET. SAVES LIVES
AND PREVENT SERIOUS ILLNESS.
AND YOU KNOW, TO EVERYONE OVER
65, IF YOU CAN’T ACCESS ONE OF
THESE HIGH DOSE OR
>> RECOMBINANT OR HAS BEEN TO
VACCINES, PLEASE JUST GET THE
REGULAR ONE. IT IS STILL
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AND STILL