Now is the Time to Get Ready for the Flu Season
It might not be on your to do list right now, but this is actually the best time to make sure that you and everyone in your family gets an annual flu shot. It takes a couple of weeks for your immune system to build up the antibodies necessary to fight the virus. That’s why getting your flu shot right now will give you the best protection during the entire flu season.
The flu season starts in October as we begin to spend more time indoors. Activity increases in November and the peak season for flu in metro Detroit is typically December through February.
IEP Urgent Care has this year’s flu vaccine available now, and we make it easy and convenient for you to take care of yourself and everyone in your family. No appointment is needed and we are open evenings and weekends for your convenience at any of our seven locations in Brighton, Clinton Township, Ferndale, Grosse Pointe, Jackson, Jackson West, and Novi.
The flu vaccine protects you well for about six months and it’s important to get one every fall. You cannot get the flu from the vaccine. The flu vaccine does not give you 100% protection from getting the flu, but if you are vaccinated and get the flu, your symptoms are likely to be less severe than if you had not been vaccinated. And while now is the best time, getting a flu shot anytime during the season will protect you.
We understand and respect that getting a flu shot is a personal choice, but the facts from every trusted medical resource, including the CDC, support the recommendation that everyone 6 months and older should get one every year.
According to a study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases on December 13, 2023, the flu vaccine reduces the risk of flu-related emergency department and urgent care visits by almost half, and hospitalizations by more than a third, among US adults during the 2022–2023 season.
And according to a report published by the National Council on Aging, “A 2021 study showed that among adults, vaccination was associated with a 26% lower risk of flu-related intensive care unit admissions and a 31% lower risk of flu-related death, compared to those who did not receive the flu vaccine.”
