10/22/2025
On why you should get your flu vaccine. I’ll do a thread elsewhere later, my submitted text is below (not sure how much they edited it without comparing). Op ed on the journal today, text of my submitted draft below.
▶️We may feel done with viruses, but they aren’t done with us.
As an Infectious Diseases specialist, I understand the frustration and fatigue. For many, the past years have felt like crisis after crisis, and thinking about another virus season and another vaccination may feel exhausting. Layer in the increasing fog of vaccine misinformation and our hyper-polarized public sphere, and it is pretty easy to see why the annual influenza shot may not top everyone’s priority list.
But I’m a hospital-based clinician who witnesses the potentially devastating effects of influenza every winter. I must emphasize that your flu shot is more crucial than you might realize, and I also acknowledge that our previous way of communicating about it may have missed the mark.
▶️You can still get the flu after the flu shot – but it can mean the difference between a miserable week at home and a life-threatening hospital stay.
In the past, you might have seen oversimplified “get immunized, prevent influenza” style messaging. But vaccine effectiveness in preventing infection varies year-to-year depending on how well the chosen vaccine strains match the circulating viruses. When people still get the flu, they can feel misled.
The truth is, while the vaccine generally can cut your risk of contracting influenza in half, its most powerful benefit lies in helping to prevent severe outcomes.
If you do get the flu after vaccination, you are approximately 50 to 70% less likely to require a hospital stay. Your risk of the whole spectrum of possible complications—including pneumonia, severe sinusitis, and extended illness—is dramatically lower.
But it’s more than that. The flu shot is a shield for your entire body, not just your respiratory system.
▶️A Heart-Health Strategy Disguised as a Flu Shot
People may not realize the flu can trigger heart attacks. The inflammation from infection can destabilize fatty deposits in your arteries, leading to dangerous blockages. Studies show the flu shot can cut your risk of a heart attack by 15 to 45%, especially if you’re over 65 or have existing heart disease. If you have blood pressure or cholesterol concerns, the flu shot should be discussed as part of your prevention plan.
▶️ A Community Duty: Protecting the Most Vulnerable
Protecting your health is important, but the flu shot is also an act of community solidarity. Annual influenza epidemics vary in severity, and some, like last year’s flu season, are devastating. Higher vaccination rates can reduce overall circulation of the virus, which can decrease the severity of the season for everyone. This is a crucial lifeline for people who may not have a strong protective response to the vaccine themselves: infants, the elderly, those in care homes, and those with compromised immune systems. Your decision to get vaccinated helps protect them.
▶️A Glimpse Behind Hospital Doors
When flu season hits hard, it’s not just flu patients who suffer. Beds fill up, ER wait times stretch, and care for everything from strokes to complicated births can be strained. Every flu admission we prevent keeps the system flexible for all the other health care that can’t wait. Reducing influenza-related admissions safeguards the entire healthcare system, so that we can be there for you.
▶️The Simplest Reason
If you are in the 10% or so who get influenza in a typical year, you know it is not just a cold. It can be brutal: severe headache, high fever, intense muscle aches, and a deep, rattling cough. Even if you are far from needing hospitalization, it may not be “mild”- and many find it worse than COVID. Even a 50% risk reduction is an attractive proposition. Life is complicated enough without adding bring sidelines and feeling terrible for a week.
▶️The message is clear.
Annual influenza vaccines have a long track record of safety. They have no active virus and can’t give you the flu. Vaccination is your best tool to reduce your risk of severe illness complications, including life-threatening cardiac events, and to protect both the fragile capacity of our healthcare system and the most vulnerable people in our community.
This winter, a small choice can help protect your health, heart, community, and hospital. Get your flu shot – you are worth it.
To get your influenza shot, speak to your local pharmacist or call 811 in Alberta for information on public health clinics.
Note: This piece focuses on influenza vaccines, but the same principles apply to COVID-19 vaccination. For all respiratory viruses, measures such as staying home when sick, wearing a mask in high-risk situations, and washing your hands are recommended. Finally, if you’re at high medical risk and get sick, seek care early – antiviral treatments for both influenza and COVID may be useful in some cases.
