Experts from the CDC and FDA are preparing us for thee upcoming winter respiratory season by advising everyone stay up-to-date on vaccines for COVID, the flu and RSV. 

What You Need To Know

  • The CDC is working to prepare us for the upcoming fall and winter respiratory season

  • Their experts are advising everyone stay up to date on vaccines for COVID, the flu and RSV

  • The director of the CDC said you can get the updated COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine at the same time

  • There is no group that is not at risk for the virus

The advice comes a day after The FDA approved the new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. This is the third time the vaccines have been updated to protect against new strains since the original series. Pharmacies are expected to start offering the shots in the coming days.

The timing of all this is significant as the CDC says the number of people testing positive for COVID keeps rising and emergency room visits and hospitalizations have also been increasing.

Peter Marks, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the Food and Drug Administration, said in a virtual press conference Friday that vaccinations remain one of the best ways to combat preventable diseases. He said the MRNA COVID vaccines have been administered to hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. and the benefits continue to outweigh the risks. 

“Something that continues to be forgotten is that the only way you get long-COVID is by having COVID, and vaccines can help prevent COVID," Marks said. “FDA is confident in the safety and effectiveness of these updated vaccines, and they fully meet the agency’s rigorous scientific standards.”

Mandy Cohen, the director for The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said you can get the updated COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine at the same time. She said the most vulnerable populations to these viruses continue to be adults 65 and older, children and infants and those with underlying conditions. But there is no group that is not at risk. 

“When we are seeing the change in trend, and we’re still seeing high amount of COVID circulating but not as many people going to the hospital or dying it’s because we have that underlying protection either from previous infection or previous vaccination,” Cohen said. “So again, when we’ve had multiple opportunities for our body to see these viruses it allows us to build underlying immunity.”

However, Cohen said underlying immunity does decrease overtime. She said the virus is now endemic, meaning it is here to stay, and the virus continues to evolve so they recommend getting vaccinated now to get the maximum protection against the strain that is currently circulating. 

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