Remember the good old days . . .

10 March 2022, 07:21 PM

. . . when the only vaccine Quirt and Cindy argued about was the flu vaccine?

Yeah, well, flu vaccines still suck pretty hard. Here's a stroll down memory lane, from the CDC:

"Based on data from 3,636 children, adolescents, and adults with acute respiratory infection during October 4, 2021–February 12, 2022, seasonal influenza vaccination did not reduce the risk for outpatient respiratory illness caused by influenza A(H3N2) viruses that have predominated so far this season."

IN OTHER WORDS

"This analysis indicates that influenza vaccination did not reduce the risk for outpatient medically attended illness with influenza A(H3N2) viruses that predominated so far this season"

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volum...htm?s_cid=mm7110a1_w

11 March 2022, 05:00 AM

Daniel

I have to say the CDC as an institution has lost my trust completely.

11 March 2022, 08:34 AM

Mikhailoh

It's a bit of a crapshoot. They try to predict which strains will be predominant in any given year. Sometimes they hit, sometimes they miss. I'll still take mine.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccin...rk/vaccineeffect.htm

quote:
How effective are flu vaccines?

CDC conducts studies each year to determine how well influenza (flu) vaccines protect against flu. While vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to those used to make flu vaccines. In general, current flu vaccines tend to work better against influenza B and influenza A(H1N1) viruses and offer lower protection against influenza A(H3N2) viruses. See “Does flu vaccine effectiveness vary by type or subtype?” and “Why is flu vaccine typically less effective against influenza A H3N2 viruses?” for more information.

11 March 2022, 08:50 AM

Steve Miller

A flu shot takes 10 minutes to get and costs nothing.

Just do it. You might get lucky.

11 March 2022, 08:57 AM

QuirtEvans

quote:
Originally posted by Mikhailoh:
It's a bit of a crapshoot. They try to predict which strains will be predominant in any given year. Sometimes they hit, sometimes they miss. I'll still take mine.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccin...rk/vaccineeffect.htm

quote:
How effective are flu vaccines?

CDC conducts studies each year to determine how well influenza (flu) vaccines protect against flu. While vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to those used to make flu vaccines. In general, current flu vaccines tend to work better against influenza B and influenza A(H1N1) viruses and offer lower protection against influenza A(H3N2) viruses. See “Does flu vaccine effectiveness vary by type or subtype?” and “Why is flu vaccine typically less effective against influenza A H3N2 viruses?” for more information.

Exactly. It’s a prediction. Some years it works really well. Other years, not so much. That’s just a function of the fact thay have to start making the vaccine before they know what the most common variant will be. If they wait to start making it, there’ll be no time for the manufacturing process.