Flu shots are even more important during COVID-19, says UAB doctor

Don’t ignore your flu vaccine in 2020, a UAB doctor says. The university has been recognized for its commitment to diversity. UAB will also play a big role in federally funded Alzheimer’s research.

TAKE YOUR SHOT

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever that people get their flu vaccinations, said Dr. Erin DeLaney in the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine.

“COVID-19 has put significant stress on the nation’s health care system, and a bad flu season will severely stretch our health care resources,” DeLaney told UAB News.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is that everyone get a flu vaccine this year,” she said.

The flu vaccine will not provide any protection against COVID-19, but it is safe and can prevent or minimize the effects of the flu, DeLaney said.

“It can prevent the flu entirely, or limit the severity and duration of a case,” she said.

There’s some evidence that people can be infected by more than one virus at the same time.

“We can safely say that co-infection with both viruses could be serious, even life-threatening,” DeLaney said.

DeLaney said the time to get a flu shot is September or early October. Peak flu season is from December to February, and it takes a minimum of two weeks for antibodies against the flu to develop fully following vaccination.

She cautions against getting the shot too soon, such as July or August, as the preventive effect will wear off over the subsequent months and flu can linger into spring.

“The CDC advises getting a flu shot no later than the end of October,” DeLaney said. “Of course, even getting a vaccination later in the year is better than no vaccination at all.”

RECOGNIZING DIVERSITY

UAB is the only Alabama college or university to be honored with the annual HEED (Higher Education Excellence in Diversity) Award for 2020, according to UAB Media Relations.

The award recognizes schools that demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

UAB will be featured in the November issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, which gives the award.

FIGHTING DEMENTIA, DISPARITIES

UAB has been named an exploratory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center by the National Institute on Aging, according to UAB Media Relations. It will be the only ADRC in the four-state region of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. The center at UAB will also focus on racial disparities in Alzheimer’s disease in the Deep South.