Influenza vaccines, commonly called flu shot, offer a preventive option against particular strains of influenza — a highly contagious and sometimes serious Winter respiratory infection. These vaccines contain deactivated strains of the flu virus identified as being active in any given year (the strains mutate from one season to the next).
Once administered, the vaccine prompts your body's immune system to fight off influenza within approximately two weeks. In essence, getting vaccinated empowers your body to defend against contracting the flu if you get exposed, and experiencing its associated health risks.
While it’s advisable for everyone over 6 months of age to be vaccinated against the flu, a flu shot is particularly helpful for high-risk groups, including older adults, children, pregnant women, and those with chronic respiratory or other conditions.
Children
Children may have weakened or developing immune systems, and are more susceptible to flu complications. Fortunately, flu vaccines prevent influenza-caused deaths among children, who make up a disproportionately high percentage of those hospitalized for influenza.
Elderly
Our immune system becomes weaker and less effective as we get older. This increases the risk of catching the flu and developing serious complications, including hospitalization and death, and is why a high-dose flu vaccine exists for adults over age 65.
Pregnant Women
During pregnancy, the immune response lowers to protect the baby and mother, leaving the expecting mother vulnerable to infections like the flu. By getting a flu shot, prenatal women can stay protected against the flu and related hospitalizations, while protecting their babies from the flu for some months post-birth, particularly if they breast feed.
Patients with chronic conditions
Chronic conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, heart/lung/kidney disease, etc., can weaken the immune system, and result in more serious influenza infections.
These issues not only impact your health but also impact your daily life, work, and school (as well as others around you who could contract the infection from you).
The right time to get vaccinated is before the flu season begins; the CDC recommends aiming for September and October, but you can get the vaccine at any time through the Winter and Spring. You can get flu vaccines at pharmacies, clinics, community health centers, and urgent care centers. You can also look for nearby flu vaccination sites here.
Yes, even after vaccination, you can get flu while the vaccine develops antibodies or from different strains of flu that are not included in the vaccine. But the intensity of the infection is generally less than if you hadn’t gotten the shot.
The flu vaccine will last for about 6 months.
If the strains included in the vaccine are matched with the strains causing the illness, the vaccine will be more effective, reducing the spread of the infection by 40-60%.
The flu shot lowers your risk of getting infected, hospitalized, and dying — and spreading the infection to others.
At FCCMG, we understand the importance of flu vaccinations in preventing the spread of flu viruses. That’s why we offer flu vaccines at all our urgent care clinics in Irvine Woodbridge Urgent Care, Fountain Valley Urgent Care, and Costa Mesa Urgent Care, CA. Visit our clinics if you are looking for a safe and affordable flu vaccine near you.
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We're Open Every Day!
Mon - Fri:
8AM - 8PM
Weekends & Holidays: 8AM - 5PM
We're Open Every Day!
Mon - Fri:
8AM - 8PM
Weekends & Holidays: 8AM - 5PM
