Getting your flu shot has become a yearly event for many as recommended by the medical community and the Canadian government. Receiving your flu shot is an important action to undertake as it ensures that you are protected from the yearly flu that is so easily spread. The frequency at which the flu shot is taken may prompt some to wonder why the flu vaccine changes every year–a valid question that is bound to be asked as the flu season approaches. 

Here are the answers to any pressing questions about the flu vaccine and how it keeps you and those around you protected from seasonal illnesses!

Protection from the flu

According to information about the flu vaccine from the government of Canada, everyone over six months should receive their flu shots every year. It is your best protection against the flu and can prevent spreading the virus to others you encounter. It will reduce your chances of getting sick and having complications from the flu. More so, it will reduce your chances of getting COVID-19. This newly relevant factor is particularly important If you are susceptible to catching COVID and suffering from its potentially severe complications. Because of this, both the flu shot and your COVID vaccine will provide great benefits to your health and wellbeing. 

Flu vaccine yearly change

The flu vaccine changes every year due to the constant evolution of the flu strain, and the vaccine must often adapt to these changes to better protect everyone from a new strain of flu. Every year, there is a collection of flu-related data that is closely examined by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO is then responsible for choosing the strains most likely to spread during the yearly flu season. Based on the strains WHO has selected, a new vaccine is developed. Another reason why the flu vaccine is required to change each year is that the shot’s effectiveness eventually begins to wear off with each passing month. A flu shot will help your body’s immune system to adjust to these new flu strains. 

Safe and effective

Receiving your flu shot is an effective method to avoid sickness and complications from the flu and it is also highly safe to put into your body. The yearly flu vaccine will dramatically reduce the severity of the infection and will protect you against three different flu strains that might be active during flu season. Side effects and reactions of any kind from a flu shot are infrequent, and catching the flu from the flu shot should not occur. 

Staying healthy and safe

Getting your flu vaccine will help keep you healthy and safe during a fast-approaching flu season. The flu shot remains particularly important as we enter our second year of the pandemic, where complications from the flu and COVID can be severe and debilitating. As new strains of the flu develop each year, getting a yearly flu shot is vital in ensuring that your immune system can adequately adjust and fight off the flu. 

Springborough Pharmasave is your health professionals committed to serving the Springborough community. Our pharmacy in SW Calgary will provide you with all the important services you need for your health, including healthcare advice and medical products. All our programs and services will be tailored to the needs of our consumers. We offer vaccinations, flu shots, breast pump rentals, and can act as your travel clinic in Calgary. Giving back to the community is a core value at Pharmasave, and we are proud of our work to help the Springborough community. Visit us at 104-30 Springborough Blvd, Southwest Calgary or call us on (403) 453-6113.