The latest COVID-19 wave of infections across South Florida and the United States is well behind us. Now, doctors are urging people six months and older to get vaccinated ahead of the holiday season.
That’ll give someone the right kind of protection against what’s circulating now and what will do so throughout this season, said Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
In the U.S., people have access to mRNA vaccines — those are the ones manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer.
What makes COVID-19 mRNA vaccines different from other vaccines is that they teach cells how to make a piece of the spike protein found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. That’s the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Once our body does that, it triggers an immune response that produces antibodies, which help protect us from getting sick later on during an actual exposure to COVID-19.
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Each year, these mRNA vaccines are updated to target the variants that are currently circulating and getting people sick.
The Novavax vaccine is another option, but that vaccine works a bit differently. The Novavax vaccine is not an mRNA vaccine. Instead, it’s what's called a protein subunit vaccine. It already has pieces of the virus, or proteins, in it and that triggers a response from the body’s immune system.
This one is recommended for people who had an allergic reaction to an mRNA vaccine, anyone who had myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation around the lining of the heart) from the mRNA vaccines or anyone who simply prefers not to use an mRNA vaccine for coverage.
Is now the time to get vaccinated?
A vaccine “may not prevent every infection but those infections are going to be less severe,” says Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “I would rather have my grandmother or my great-grandmother have a sniffle than have to go to the emergency room on Thanksgiving.”
Experts recommend getting your shots by now.
"Getting vaccinated is the right thing to do personally and for your community."Dr. Aileen Marty
What about those who had COVID-19 over the summer?
“I've been advising my patients, my family and friends is wait three months after you had your summer case of COVID 19, and then take one of the vaccines,” FIU's Marty told WLRN.
This week, CDC Director Mandy Cohen endorsed a recommendation from a group called the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for people 65 years and older and those who are immunocompromised: Get a second dose of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine six months after the first dose.
Most health insurers cover these vaccines. A federal program that covered the cost of the COVID-19 vaccines has ended, though, and uninsured people may be asked to pay roughly $200 for a shot. Federally qualified health centers may have information about any available assistance with the vaccines.
Every U.S. household may order four free at-home COVID-19 tests via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Flu is 'absolutely miserable’
“Flu is no joke. It's a horrific thing to have severe influenza,” FIU’s Dr. Marty said. “Real flu is absolutely miserable. The number of flu cases in 2023 to 2024 was much higher than the previous two seasons. And that's incredibly significant. Getting vaccinated is the right thing to do personally and for your community.”
The CDC recommends anyone 6 months old or older to get the appropriate inactivated flu vaccine for their age group.
If people feel any sickness after a flu vaccination, they are not experiencing the actual flu.
“What we're doing with these vaccines is we are awakening the adaptive immune response so that we will have memory cells that are able to attack the real virus,” Marty said. “Anytime that the immune system sees proteins and other antigens that it can react to, there's going to be some change physiologically while the body is producing these new cells we're going to need and the new antibodies we're going to need. So it's not uncommon to have some symptoms that make you think you might be coming down with something.”
Those symptoms will subside quickly because someone isn’t experiencing the actual wild virus.
RSV and mosquito-born diseases
Respiratory syncytial virus or RSV is common and usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Who should get vaccinated against RSV?
“Anybody 60 or over has a high risk of severe disease from this respiratory syncytial virus,” Marty said. “But even people in their 50s and 40s can have bad RSV if those individuals also have other underlying conditions. Also, we vaccinate pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks gestation. So that's super important.”
"Anybody 60 or over has a high risk of severe disease from this respiratory syncytial virus. But even people in their 50s and 40s can have bad RSV if those individuals also have other underlying conditions. Also, we vaccinate pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks gestation."Dr. Aileen Marty
Lastly, Dr. Marty recommends being mindful of using precautions against mosquito bites. “ Luckily we’re getting away from mosquito season but we’re not getting away from it as fast as we normally do,” as it’s still warm and rainy in South Florida due to climate change.
The Florida Department of Health recommends draining standing water from garbage cans, buckets, pool covers, toys, flower pots or other places where rain water has collected, because standing water helps mosquitos breed.
People may want to cover their skin with clothing or a repellant.
The Associated Press contribute to this story.
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