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If you still haven't gotten your , don't fret – experts say it's the perfect time to get vaccinated before the holidays are in full swing.
"It's not too late, and you can get them both at the same time, according to the CDC," TheNews chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook said on .
Why now?
"It takes a couple of weeks for them to kick in," LaPook said. "So go ahead and get them."
Flu season typically starts in December and peaks in February, so the "optimal time" to get vaccinated is heading into the season, Dr. Céline Gounder, TheNews medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, recently.
The CDC recommends everyone for influenza every flu season.
Those among the most at risk for flu complications include:
During the 2023-24 flu season, the CDC reported , most of whom were eligible for a vaccine but did not receive one.
"Unfortunately, coming out of the COVID pandemic, we have seen a rise in , people less willing to get vaccinated, and as we've seen with the pediatric flu vaccines, that has led to increased hospitalizations as well as, unfortunately, some deaths," Gounder said.
In , officials reminded the public that data "continues to confirm the importance of vaccination."
"Receiving recommended 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines can restore and enhance protection against the virus variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States," the statement added.
The CDC also said the COVID-19 vaccine can help reduce the chances of suffering .
Flu and COVID aren't the only vaccines available for you to protect yourself this season.
Everyone older than 75 is eligible for the , vaccine. If you're at high risk for a bad outcome, you can also get vaccinated from age 60 to 75.
The vaccine is also available for even more people this year after the CDC lowered the recommended age from 65 to 50 last month.
Dr. Mallika Marshall that shift is important.
"The pneumonia vaccine actually protects people against pneumococcus, which is a bacterium that commonly causes pneumonia and meningitis and blood infections," she said.
