2020-21 influenza vaccine

[LasVegas]

So last week my daughter and I went to get our flu shots at CVS. Nevada has finally allowed kids 3 and older to get flu shots from a pharmacist. So much better than having to drag her into the peds office. I think NC it’s still 10 and older which is a shame but I believe an emergency measure was put into place this year to allow all states to do 3 and older for flu shots. Of course the AAP is angry about this measure which in turn angers me. The AAP advocates for increased vaccine rates and this is an easy way to help with those numbers. I suspect they will be missing that $40 reimbursement but patient health comes first

The point of all this is to check with your local pharmacy and get your kids vaccinated in a much more convenient way.

[rsvman]

There are actually other reasons that pediatricians want the children to be seen at their provider's office, especially right now.
A lot of children have become behind in their routine vaccinations and visits for chronic conditions because of the pandemic.

While there may be some doctors who are driven by profit I think it is always dangerous to paint with that broad a brush.

[LasVegas]

There are actually other reasons that pediatricians want the children to be seen at their provider's office, especially right now.
A lot of children have become behind in their routine vaccinations and visits for chronic conditions because of the pandemic.

While there may be some doctors who are driven by profit I think it is always dangerous to paint with that broad a brush.

Ok, true. Maybe I was a bit harsh on that end but I still think expanding access to the influenza vaccine is a net positive. I recently switched jobs but I used to be the clinical system analyst for 25 clinics in Las Vegas where I basically designed and built the electronic medical record. We had A LOT of clinics in low income communities but our peds office was in a particularly poor part of town. No show rates some days would reach 50%. Schedule 250 patients for the day and only have 125 walk through the door.

One thing I am particularly proud of is my build for our peds flu clinic. 5 clicks in the system and the the visit was completed and the claim sent out. We could rip through a ton of patients in a day. It was very rewarding to see the high volume plus the provider/nurse satisfaction and that’s the reason I got into EMR building.

[PackMan97]

There are actually other reasons that pediatricians want the children to be seen at their provider's office, especially right now.
A lot of children have become behind in their routine vaccinations and visits for chronic conditions because of the pandemic.

While there may be some doctors who are driven by profit I think it is always dangerous to paint with that broad a brush.

Our pediatrician's office is doing a drive thru flu clinic this year. A doctor isn't even seeing them. Just nurse. Kids don't even need to get out of the car.

Regulations like this drive me batty. There is no reason a pharmacist can't give a flu shot to a child (that I know of). (disclaimer: heard this from my wife whose 7 year old was given a flu shot by a pharmacist) I actually believe that kids can get a flu shot from a pharmacist with a doctor's Rx. Though, if you went to the Dr to get an Rx, why didn't you just get the flu shot...?

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I know people have been beating the drum about the co-incidences of Covid-19 and Influenza being a potential disaster, but isn't it likely that this flu season will be much less severe, given that people are (for the most part) social distancing, not going to classes, washing hands, not hugging friends and family, etc? I would think the spread would be far less likely than most years.

[MChambers]

I know people have been beating the drum about the co-incidences of Covid-19 and Influenza being a potential disaster, but isn't it likely that this flu season will be much less severe, given that people are (for the most part) social distancing, not going to classes, washing hands, not hugging friends and family, etc? I would think the spread would be far less likely than most years.

I think that's probably right. Supposedly the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere has not been very bad at all, probably because of social distancing. But if you do get the flu, the spread of the coronavirus definitely could complicate your medical treatment.

Accordingly, I got my flu shot at a CVS Pharmacy today. If there's a CVS Pharmacy near you, you might want to schedule an appointment for your shot. You can do it here:

https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/fl...home-hero1-flu

I was able to plug in my health insurance information and other relevant data, so that I didn't have to do any paperwork at the pharmacy. I scheduled it last night for 9 a.m. this morning, and was out of the pharmacy by 9:10 a.m. (Because it's a CVS Pharmacy inside a Target store, I also got a $5 coupon from Target.)

[JasonEvans]

I think that's probably right. Supposedly the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere has not been very bad at all, probably because of social distancing. But if you do get the flu, the spread of the coronavirus definitely could complicate your medical treatment.

https://www.advisory.com/daily-brief...s-restrictions

in the Southern Hemisphere—where winter began to descend nearly two months ago—the annual influx of flu and respiratory virus patients "never came," the Wall Street Journal's David Luhnow and Alice Uribe report.

According to Luhnow and Uribe, Chile has recorded 1,134 seasonal respiratory infections so far this year, compared with 20,949 such infections during over the same time period last year. And in the first two weeks of July, which typically is the height of flu season in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile reported no new cases of the flu.

Similarly, in Brazil, even though the country has seen a large number of coronavirus-related deaths, officials reported 2,085 hospitalized flu patients in week 27 of the country's flu season, which is down significantly from the 3,445 hospitalized flu patients the country reported during the same week last year.

The number of lab-confirmed cases of the flu also plummeted by 64% in Argentina, Luhnow and Uribe report, dropping from 420,737 between January and June of 2019 to 151,189 cases in the same time frame this year.

[TNDukeFan]

My spouse has a sometimes-suspicious cast of mind...she worries that the flu shot at CVS might be of lesser quality than at the doctor's office. Can someone help me set this straight?

[rsvman]

My spouse has a sometimes-suspicious cast of mind...she worries that the flu shot at CVS might be of lesser quality than at the doctor's office. Can someone help me set this straight?

They are the same shots.

[TNDukeFan]

They are the same shots.

Thank you.

[budwom]

They are the same shots.

Good to hear...but I'll never berate someone for being suspicious of CVS...the only place I know where you could actually trip over your four foot long receipt.

[MChambers]

Good to hear...but I'll never berate someone for being suspicious of CVS...the only place I know where you could actually trip over your four foot long receipt.

I completely agree about skepticism as to CVS.

My neighborhood is lucky. We recently had a small form Target open and it includes a CVS pharmacy run by a pharmacist who is unfailingly pleasant, helpful, and efficient. It does seem to me me that the CVS stores in the DC area have improved their customer service in recent years (before that, they were awful), but this location almost makes me like going to the pharmacy.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

They are the same shots.

Our local family physician's office is offering drive through flu shot clinics starting this Saturday. They also state this:

Flu Vaccine: This season our physicians have elected to administer Flublok which is: 1) a higher dose vaccine – three times the strength of the regular dose 2) quadrivalent – covers four strains instead of just three and 3) Recommended for patients eighteen years and older.

Are all shots the same or are some better than others? Inquiring minds want to know!

We'll be getting ours in the next couple of weeks, not sure when yet.

[rsvman]

Our local family physician's office is offering drive through flu shot clinics starting this Saturday. They also state this:

Flu Vaccine: This season our physicians have elected to administer Flublok which is: 1) a higher dose vaccine – three times the strength of the regular dose 2) quadrivalent – covers four strains instead of just three and 3) Recommended for patients eighteen years and older.

Are all shots the same or are some better than others? Inquiring minds want to know!

We'll be getting ours in the next couple of weeks, not sure when yet.

About five years ago there were actually at least six different vaccines avaiiable.

The shot that has a lot more antigen in it is designed for seniors. There used to also be a shot that had a lot less antigen in it but it was adjuvaneed differently and injected intradermally instead of intramuccularly. Not sure if that one is still available.

Quadrivalent became the rage a number of years ago. Previously, flu vaccines only contained antigens fir three strains: two A strains and one B strain. Usually what actually circulates is two A strains and two B strains, although one of the B strains usually predominates over the other. But sometimes the prediction for which B strain will predominate is off. Enter the quadrivalent vaccine, which contains antigens for both A strains and both B strains.

My personal favorite was the low-dose intradermal vaccine, but i wasn't able to get it last season and I suspect it will be unavailable this season, too, unfortunately.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

We got our flu shots on Saturday. My arm didn’t get sore!

[duke79]

We got our flu shots on Saturday. My arm didn’t get sore!

Got my flu shot this morning at our local CVS. Took about only 15/20 minutes (two people ahead of me).

I agree with Budworm above: I hate the 4ft-long "receipts" you get at CVS, even if you just buy an $.89 roll of mints. I once asked the check-out clerk how many rolls of paper they go through each day with each cash register. He just rolled his eyes and said "numerous".

[camion]

Got my flu shot this morning at our local CVS. Took about only 15/20 minutes (two people ahead of me).

I agree with Budworm above: I hate the 4ft-long "receipts" you get at CVS, even if you just buy an $.89 roll of mints. I once asked the check-out clerk how many rolls of paper they go through each day with each cash register. He just rolled his eyes and said "numerous".

In these difficult time they should make the receipts out of toilet paper. Think of the possibilities.



- People could stock up on TP one stick of gum at a time.

- CVS could make the receipts a bonus instead of issuing points.

- CVS could charge extra for the receipt which would generate another receipt, and so on.

[camion]

I got my flu shot this morning at Publix. It was FLUAD QUAD, approved for old farts and $0.00 for most insurance and medicare.

FLUAD QUADRIVALENT is standardized according to United States Public Health Service requirements and each 0.5 mL dose is formulated to contain 15 mcg of hemagglutinin (HA) fromeach of the following four influenza strains recommended for the 2020-2021 influenza season: A/Victoria/2454/2019 IVR-207 (an A/Guangdong-Maonan/SWL1536/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus),A/Hong Kong/2671/2019 IVR-208 (an A/Hong Kong/2671/2019 (H3N2)-like virus),B/Victoria/705/2018 BVR-11 (a B/Washington/02/2019-like virus), B/Phuket/3073/2013 BVR-1B (a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus).

FLUAD QUADRIVALENT also contains MF59C.1 adjuvant (MF59®), a squalene based oil-in-water emulsion.

Also included was a $10 Publix gift card.

[Indoor66]

I got my flu shot this morning at Publix. It was FLUAD QUAD, approved for old farts and $0.00 for most insurance and medicare.

FLUAD QUADRIVALENT is standardized according to United States Public Health Service requirements and each 0.5 mL dose is formulated to contain 15 mcg of hemagglutinin (HA) fromeach of the following four influenza strains recommended for the 2020-2021 influenza season: A/Victoria/2454/2019 IVR-207 (an A/Guangdong-Maonan/SWL1536/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus),A/Hong Kong/2671/2019 IVR-208 (an A/Hong Kong/2671/2019 (H3N2)-like virus),B/Victoria/705/2018 BVR-11 (a B/Washington/02/2019-like virus), B/Phuket/3073/2013 BVR-1B (a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus).

FLUAD QUADRIVALENT also contains MF59C.1 adjuvant (MF59®), a squalene based oil-in-water emulsion.

Also included was a $10 Publix gift card.

I am gettng mine next week.

[-jk]

Our town is doing shots wed afternoons. 3 people per 30 minute slot in an otherwise empty building, so nicely spaced. I'm up the first wed in oct.

-jk