COVID, Flu Vaccines for 2023
September 29, 2023
By August Ryan; Reviewed for medical accuracy by Nathalie May, MD
To stay healthy this fall, you need a flu shot and an updated COVID-19 booster or first-time vaccination.
COVID-19 and the flu are caused by different viruses, so you need one vaccine for each illness. It is safe to get both vaccines on the same day.
It is important to stay up to date on vaccines because:
- Vaccines become less protective over time.
- Vaccines get updated to help fight new variants/strains of a virus.
- If you are vaccinated and still get sick, it is less likely to cause major issues, hospital visits or death.
- It helps keep illness from spreading to people at high risk of major issues, hospital visits or death.
“Don't just think about yourself. Think about who else you could impact if you get them sick.”
– Nathalie May, MD, Drexel Medicine provider
Children, elderly people and people with other health conditions are often considered “high risk.”
This year’s flu vaccine, and when to get it
Experts say to get your yearly flu shot by the end of October. Because flu season lasts into March, you should get a flu shot even if you miss the October deadline.
“Vaccines wane over time. Some people get their flu shot in August, and those people are not going to be protected come February, or March,” said Drexel Internal Medicine physician Nathalie May, MD. “If someone gets vaccinated in October, they will be protected through the bulk of the peak flu season.”
Even if you plan to get your flu shot in October, get the COVID-19 booster as soon as you can.
About the updated COVID-19 booster
What is long COVID?
For most people with COVID-19, symptoms like fever, extreme tiredness, cough and more go away after four weeks. People with long COVID:
- May have COVID symptoms after four weeks.
- May have new health problems (for example, rash, depression and/or anxiety, joint pain and more).
- May have symptoms for weeks or years.
Your risk of Long COVID is greater if:
- You have severe COVID-19 symptoms.
- You have never been vaccinated for COVID-19.
- You get COVID-19 multiple times.
Learn more.
An updated COVID-19 booster should be available by the end of September. To get the booster:
The latest booster will work even if you did not get earlier boosters. In fact, the earlier primary series vaccines are no longer available in the United States. An updated COVID vaccine is all you need.
If you recently had COVID-19, you still need a booster. Get vaccinated 90 days (3 months) after you first tested positive or 90 days after your symptoms started.
Doctors say COVID-19 is still a serious issue
Compared to 2020, it is less common now for younger, healthy people to become severely ill, be hospitalized or die after catching COVID-19. However, May said it is still important for everyone to protect themselves from COVID-19.
The CDC says anyone who has had COVID may be more likely to get:
- Diabetes
- Heart or lung problems
- Blood clots
- Long COVID
- And more
In addition to getting vaccinated and boosted, May said during these periods of rising COVID cases, people should continue to wear masks and use COVID-19 testing to help protect themselves and others.
“Some people don't want to get the vaccine or wear a mask because they don't think they're going to get sick or it's not going to be a big deal,” May said. “Even if it's not a big deal for you, if you give it to your grandmother or grandfather who is high risk, it'll be a big deal for them. Don't just think about yourself. Think about who else you could impact.”
The information on these pages is provided for general information only and should not be used for diagnosis or treatment, or as a substitute for consultation with a physician or health care professional. If you have specific questions or concerns about your health, you should consult your health care professional.
The images being used are for illustrative purposes only; any person depicted is a model.
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