Calvert County Health Department
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Seasonal Flu Vaccination Information and Schedule
Getting Vaccinated at the Health Department
Flu vaccinations will be available Fall of 2025
Fall Vaccine Overview
Here is a quick summary of how best to protect yourself and your family as we head into flu (and RSV and covid) season.
Everyone from very young children (6-months or older) to seniors should get an influenza vaccine and a covid vaccine in mid-late October. It’s safe to get them at the same time, or you can split them by 2 weeks if that makes you feel more comfortable. Keep in mind that it takes your body 2 weeks to develop protective antibodies after a vaccine is given, so you shouldn’t wait until people around you start getting sick. You certainly want protection before virus spread surges around Thanksgiving.
Last year, people hospitalized with covid were 60% more likely to die than those hospitalized with the flu. In addition, long covid symptoms, including chronic exhaustion and breathing problems, are an ongoing risk for children, teens, and adults. Covid is no joke (419,000 hospitalizations and 43,700 deaths across the U.S. last fall and winter). You have a chance to significantly reduce your risk and protect vulnerable family members and neighbors by getting vaccinated.
Both the influenza and covid vaccines are newly formulated each fall to best match the strains of viruses that are circulating in the U.S.
RSV vaccines are extremely important for pregnant women, everyone 75 and older, and 60-74 year-olds at high-risk of health complications, including those with heart and lung conditions. Among those 60 and older, there are an average of 110,000 RSV hospitalizations and 8,000 deaths each year across the country. RSV vaccinations are only needed once. So anyone who had an RSV vaccine last year does not need to be revaccinated. Since RSV vaccines last for years, seniors can get them now and not have to worry about their protection wearing off before the winter virus ends.
Pregnant women should get an RSV vaccine when they are between 32-36 weeks. The timing optimizes the amount of antibody protection they transfer to their baby through the umbilical cord. RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for infants and young children. During a typical fall/winter season, there are 50,000-80,000 hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years old, with an average of 200 deaths. Most of these hospitalizations and deaths occur before babies turn 8-months old. For babies who are under 8-months old and whose mothers did not receive a vaccine while pregnant, pediatricians can administer an antibody inoculation called Beyfortus in the fall. The inoculation lasts through the winter, and is just as protective against RSV as the vaccination. Children between 8 months and 1 ½ years old who have certain high-risk conditions are also eligible for antibody protection.
Please see separate posts for more detailed information on flu, covid, and RSV vaccines.
Follow These 3 Steps to Fight the Flu (from the CDC website)
Flu
The flu (influenza) is a contagious disease that can be severe. Almost every year, the flu causes disease in millions of persons, hundreds of thousands get hospitalized, and tens of thousands die because of the flu. The CDCs urge you to take the following measures to protect yourself and others from the flu.
You and your family should get vaccinated!
The first and most important step to protect yourself against flu viruses is getting a flu vaccine each year. All persons 6 months of age or older should get a flu vaccine, if possible before the end of October, or as soon as possible if after October.
Flu vaccines are offered in many places, such as physician offices, clinics, health departments, drugstores, and university health centers, as well as from many employers and even at some schools.
Protect yourself. Protect your family. Get vaccinated. #FightTheFlu
Avoid
Avoid any close contact with sick people; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth; cover your nose and mouth with a paper towel when coughing or sneezing, wash your hands frequently (with soap and water), and clean and sanitize the surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with the flu viruses.
If you get sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Please remember to cover your nose and mouth with a paper towel when coughing or sneezing, and throw the paper towel into the garbage bin after using it. Stay at home until at least for 24 hours after the fever is gone, except to receive medical care o for other needs. (Before resuming your regular activities, your fever must have disappeared for about 24 hours without using a drug to decrease it).
Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/treatment/
Take antiviral drugs if prescribed by your doctor!
If you catch the flu, antiviral drugs can be used to treat it.
Antiviral drugs can alleviate the symptoms and shorten the duration of the disease. They can also prevent severe flu complications, such as pneumonia.
The CDCs recommend the use of antiviral drugs during the early stages of treatment for persons who are very sick from the flu (such as: people who are hospitalized) and those who got it and are at high risk of severe complications, due to their age or to having a high-risk condition.
Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/treatment/
Seasonal Flu Vaccination Information
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