The influenza B virus. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
I had not had a Covid vaccination since 2021, and I had never had a flu shot (though, lucky for me, it has been more than 30 years since I’ve had the flu). Because I’m going to be on two long flights and two long train rides next month, I figured it was time to go get some shots.
At first I thought it was strange when my doctor’s office said that they don’t have the vaccines. They referred me to the dominant pharmacy chain here, CVS. Then I realized that it’s probably not efficient for small rural practices to keep those vaccines when the pharmacies are doing the job with greater efficiency. I’d never had a shot at a pharmacy before; this is new to me. But I understand that, since 2009, all fifty American states have given pharmacists the right to vaccinate. The pharmacist who gave me the shots said I was her 40th flu shot that day.
I went to a CVS in the little town of Walnut Cove at 6 p.m. on a Friday. The sign said that walk-ins are welcome. I had some questions, and I found that the pharmacist was very well informed. She answered all my questions. Though proof of immunization is not required at present for airline passengers, I asked for some documentation just in case. She gave me two printouts. For the Covid vaccine, I got the “MODERNA 2024-2025 COVID 12YR+,” in which the 12YR+ means that it’s the version of the vaccine for people older than 12. For the flu vaccine, I got the “FLUAD TRIVALENT 2024-2025 SYR,” from a company named Sequirus, Inc. This vaccine is optimized for people over 65. It includes something called MF59, an oil-in-water emulsion that, for reasons not fully understood, increases the effectiveness of the vaccine, which may be important for older people whose immune systems aren’t what they used to be.
The shots cost me nothing. My Humana Medicare Advantage coverage paid for it. I can see online in my Humana account that Humana paid CVS $89.71 for the flu shot and $156.13 for the Covid shot.
As expected, the next day I didn’t feel exactly sick; malaise is probably the best word. I had a low-grade fever of 99.7 the day after, but my temperature was back to normal on day 2. My upper arm is a little sore, but only a little. That’s just what we are told to expect. It’s OK to get the Covid vaccine and the flu vaccine at the same time, but you probably want to time it so that you have a couple of days off to deal with the after-effects.
Modern medicine is a miracle. Yes, drug companies want to gouge us where they can. But I also think that vaccine technologies are far more advanced and far safer than lovers of conspiracy theories will ever admit. The flu and Covid vaccines are products of international cooperation. In addition to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is the World Health Organization and the health agencies of other advanced countries, all cooperating on the science and delivery of these vaccines. There is a huge amount of global research on vaccines and their effectiveness.
I have never had Covid. And, by the way, you can still get four free Covid test kits from the U.S. Department of Health & Human services by going here.
Good for you – it is important especially that you are traveling
I got mine when the 24′ version came out along with the flu vaccine, yes old people are more vulnerable. Typical sore arm no side effect.
We have not had Covid (2018 to 2023) and the symptoms we did have were tested with a Negative response – though we felt terrible – no cough just a fever