Many health-conscious Valley residents are already in the habit of looking into seasonal flu shot availability each October or November.
According to the two large pharmacy chains with a presence in the Valley, August is the new November — at least as far as this year’s seasonal shots are concerned.
On June 30, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky announced a committee recommendation to preferentially recommend the use of specific flu vaccines for adults 65 years and older, including higher dose and adjuvanted flu vaccines. This announcement cleared the way for pharmacies to start ordering, maintaining supply of, and administering 2022-23 seasonal flu shots.
CVS and Walgreens have both started promoting their availability of seasonal shots.
CVS District Leader Justin Ellis says one item causing his chain to attempt to vaccinate the public earlier is the time it takes for the vaccine to become effective.
“It takes about two weeks, after vaccination, for a flu vaccine to do its job,” Ellis said. “So, between the time it takes to schedule or do walk-in appointments for an entire household, plus the two weeks for each person, we’re trying to get out in front of peak flu season this time. We also want everyone to get a seasonal flu shot before the heavy travel of November and December pick up.”
The exact timing and duration of flu seasons varies, the CDC says, but flu activity often begins to increase in October. Most of the time, flu activity peaks between December and February, although there might still be significant activity in some states as late as May.
Ellis said the tendency for Valley residents to stay indoors in the summer, along with part-year residents and visitors who balloon the population temporarily each winter, don’t alter Arizona in terms of winter being the time of biggest flu risk.
Ellis also said most Americans are caught up on COVID-19 booster shots. He and the rest of the health care community are awaiting guidance sometime this fall from the CDC regarding COVID boosters, which are expected to focus more heavily on the omicron variants of the virus.
Also, he said, mask mandates and nearly all other COVID-19 precautionary mandates have been lifted.
“We don’t want anyone to get sick at all, even with the regular flu,” Ellis said. “Especially our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Flu shots are available at both chains at no cost with most insurance.
“Once the COVID boosters are available, it’s no problem at all, for the pharmacy or the public, to schedule both a COVID booster and seasonal flu shot for the same appointment,” he said.
Both pharmacy chains encourage appointments to ensure enough personnel will be at the right locations to ensure efficient vaccination. Ellis said CVS has its own digital app that can be used.
“We take walk-ins as well,” he said.
Valley residents older than 65 can choose between regular approved seasonal vaccines, along with Fluzone High-Dose and FLUAD, which are designed for patients in that age group. Those work by improving the production of antibodies in order to provide a stronger immune response to the flu than traditional vaccines.
Ellis said he expects all CVS pharmacies should have ample supplies of seasonal flu vaccines.
“We’re announcing this at this time, because we know how we are fully supplied,” Ellis said. “When COVID-19 vaccines or boosters were newly released, the demand initially far exceeded the supply.”
Jason W. Brooks is a News editor for the Daily Independent and the Chandler Independent.
He covers the Chandler area for both yourvalley.net and the monthly print edition while writing for and assisting in the production of the Daily Independent.
Brooks is a well-traveled journalist who has documented life in small American communities in nearly all U.S. time zones.
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised there and in suburban Los Angeles, he has covered community news in California, New Mexico, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and northern Arizona.
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