Flu shots and omicron boosters: What to know and when to get them in Memphis

With influenza cases starting to crop up and new guidance coming out about COVID-19 boosters, Memphis doctors have weighed in about the best time to receive your flu shot as well as what to know about new coronavirus vaccine booster shots.

Last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized updated COVID-19 boosters, which authorities hope will help combat the particular strains of the virus most prevalent at this time.

People ages 12 and up are eligible to get the updated Pfizer booster and those age 18 and up can get the new Moderna booster shot. The new shots add omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components to the previous vaccines, which were proven safe and effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 IN TENNESSEE: 'This should not have happened.' A toddler's grueling recovery from COVID

HEALTHCARE JOBS: Nurses (and much more) needed: How Memphis hospitals are rebuilding their staffs

“The updated COVID-19 boosters are formulated to better protect against the most recently circulating COVID-19 variant. They can help restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination and were designed to provide broader protection against newer variants,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “If you are eligible, there is no bad time to get your COVID-19 booster and I strongly encourage you to receive it.”

The CDC in the coming weeks hopes to be able to recommend updated booster shots for other pediatric groups.

Omicron booster details

Dr. Shirin Mazumder, an infectious disease expert with the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare System, said those who are eligible to receive a booster shot should do so, as models predict COVID-19 cases will pick up heading into the winter months.

It is generally recommended people wait two months from their last booster or their original vaccine series to receive a new booster shot, Mazumder said. Those who have recently had COVID-19 likely have some level of natural immunity. They could get a booster shot once out of isolation or wait up to three months or so before getting the jab, Mazumder said.

Dr. Steve Threlkeld, director of infection prevention with the Baptist Memorial Health Care System, said the question of variant-specific boosters at this time remained a tricky one. While the boosters are likely just as safe as those formulated in the past — due to only minor modifications in formulas — whether they were more effective than previous vaccines against the current strains circulating was still being studied.

MEMPHIS HOSPITALS: As noted surgeon Eason and Methodist part ways, what's next for transplant institute?

BRAIN TUMOR TREATMENT: This brain surgery is a last chance, and there’s only one place in Memphis to get it

Trials in mice had been promising, but the results of trials in humans — while likely to be available soon — are not yet available, he said.

However, Threlkeld said he does not discourage anyone from getting whatever booster shot is available to them.

“Is it more effective? Which booster do you get? That's the question,” he said. “And I think probably either is fine right now.”

The original vaccines remain highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death, regardless of what strain of the virus someone is infected with, he said.

“I always like to say our grandparents would turn over in their graves if they witnessed some of the behaviors of people not protecting themselves against infections that took the lives of their siblings growing up,” Threlkeld said.

It’s also important to remember that while the intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic has waned for various reasons, the virus is still circulating and people are still becoming seriously ill, he said.

“There's still a lot of it in our community. Now, we don't pay attention to it very much anymore, but we still lose people.”

COVID-19 vaccines can be found at multiple pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS, independent pharmacies and pharmacies inside Kroger stores. You can find locations offering vaccines near you at vaccines.gov.

Flu shot timing

When it comes to the impending flu season, both Mazumder and Threlkeld said they were worried by the intensity of Australia’s flu season, which takes place during the northern hemisphere’s summer and is waning now.

“I think that is very concerning. And that serves typically as a predictor of what's to come in other areas,” Mazumder said.

She said the Memphis area is already starting to see some cases of flu, which is typically earlier than flu cases tend to crop up in the Mid-South. She recommends people get their flu vaccines in September or early October and stressed everyone over the age of 6 months is able to receive a flu vaccine.

MEMPHIS MEDICAL DISTRICT: 'Huge lifestyle change': How a Medical District program helped a Memphis mom get her dream job

DOCTOR SHORTAGE: As Mid-South grapples with doctor shortage, how a Caribbean medical school is helping

Threlkeld said the severity of the flu season could depend both on the strain of the virus — how it has mutated since the last flu season — as well as the fact that many have limited immunity to the virus as COVID-19 prevention measures in the past two years also stopped the spread of the flu.

He said it usually takes about two weeks for a flu vaccine to deliver its full immunity potential to a recipient. Like Mazumder, he recommended people get vaccinated in September or early October to have the full benefits of the vaccine by the time flu season starts to wreak its havoc.

Some patients — those who are seniors, pregnant or young children — may be eligible for high-dose vaccines or two vaccine doses. Doctors recommended speaking with a primary care physician to see if you are eligible for a high-dose vaccine or two flu shots.

Flu shots can be found at pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS and independent pharmacies as well as those inside grocery stores, like Kroger. You can also get a flu shot at your primary care doctor's office. You can find locations offering flu shots near you at vaccines.gov.

Corinne S Kennedy covers economic development and healthcare for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Corinne.Kennedy@CommercialAppeal.com. 

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Flu shots and COVID boosters: Who should get them and when