BY RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock

We are now entering “flu and RSV season.” We are also facing a possible “winter wave of
COVID.”

In this light, you will find below an excellent summary of key information on vaccines against COVID, RSV, and influenza. This table was prepared (and put into the public domain), by Katelyn Jetelina, the creator of Your Local Epidemiologist, a well-regarded public health newsletter. It is especially important to note that the willingness to vaccinate against influenza is declining in the US. This reduces immunity at the community level and creates a higher risk of flu outbreaks that can sicken people and strain the health system. In this context, vaccinating yourselves and your loved ones to try to reduce the risk of infection and severe illness becomes even more important.

It is also especially important to speak with your health care providers about your eligibility for vaccines, the best time to get them, and the type of vaccine you should get, such as a high dose or adjuvanted flu vaccine for those over 65 years of age.

Members of the community, in fact, may wish to get their influenza vaccines at a community
clinic that Los Alamos Medical Center will host in its back parking lot on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

More detailed information about influenza, RSV, and COVID and the vaccines to address them
can be found on CDC’s web pages.