The flu shot works (and other things to know)
According to the CDC, people vaccinated against flu were about 40 to 70% less likely to be hospitalized because of flu illness.
Flu vaccine
Get the flu vaccine. It's more important than ever.
You can keep yourself, your family, and your community healthy by keeping up with routine vaccinations — including the annual flu vaccine.
Getting the flu vaccine is free and convenient. Just ask your primary care doctor or go to a Sharp Community-authorized flu vaccine site.
Information you need before getting vaccinated
You do not need a prescription for the flu or COVID-19 vaccine. For other vaccinations, contact your primary care doctor for a prescription prior to going to one of the participating vaccine sites. If you don’t have a Sharp Community primary care doctor, use our find a doctor tool or call us at 858-499-2550 or toll-free at 1-877-518-7624.
For Sharp Community members with an HMO health insurance plan, the flu vaccine is free when given at one of these flu vaccine sites or at your doctor's office. There is a fee for all non-Sharp Community members who receive the flu vaccine.
If you have an HMO health insurance plan, including Medicare Advantage, you can go to your primary care doctor's office or directly to an authorized flu vaccine site.
Walk-ins are welcome at participating vaccine sites, however, we encourage you to make a reservation when possible to avoid long wait times. If you do not have an appointment, we suggest calling the location to confirm hours and availability.
Be sure to bring your current health plan insurance card so that you are not charged and at least one form of valid picture identification. Present this information to the clerk or pharmacist and tell them that you are a member of Sharp Community Medical Group.
If you have COVID-19 symptoms, or if you've had a positive test for COVID-19, don't go to your doctor's office or vaccine site for your routine vaccination. Call your primary care doctor to find out when it is safe for you to go in person.
If any of the following apply to you, ask your doctor before getting the flu vaccine:
Have symptoms of COVID-19, tested positive for COVID-19 or had recent exposure to someone with COVID-19 (call your primary care doctor and do not go to the office in person)
Had a severe reaction to the flu vaccine
Had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination
Had Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Are a child less than 6 months of age
Have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (you should wait until you recover to get vaccinated)
Frequently asked questions about the flu vaccine
The 2024-25 seasonal flu vaccine will protect against three strains of influenza.
The flu vaccine can lower your chances of getting the flu and reduce the severity of the illness.
Flu vaccines cannot cause the flu. The flu shot contains a "killed" virus. The intranasal flu vaccine contains virus that has been changed so it cannot cause infection.
Getting the flu vaccine is safe and for most people causes only minor, if any, side effects.
Vaccine effectiveness varies from year to year, depending on how similar the influenza virus strains included in the vaccine are to the strain or strains that circulate during flu season. Vaccine strains must be chosen nine to 10 months in advance and sometimes mutations occur between the time vaccine strains are chosen and the next influenza season. These mutations sometimes reduce the ability of the vaccine-induced-antibody to stop the newly mutated virus, thereby reducing vaccine effectiveness.
Vaccine effectiveness also varies from one person to another, depending on factors such as age and overall health.
Even if it's not a perfect match, the antibodies made in response to vaccination with one flu virus can sometimes provide protection against different but related viruses.
Most people have no side effects or only mild side effects with the flu vaccine. Mild side effects may include soreness at the site of a flu shot, nasal congestion with the intranasal vaccine, and headache or low-grade fever with either type of vaccine.
Because some of these mild side effects mimic influenza symptoms, some people believe the vaccine causes them to get influenza. However, neither the flu shot nor the intranasal flu vaccine can cause infection.
More serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, are very rare. Talk to your health care provider if you have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past or if you are concerned about your risk for a severe reaction.
The CDC recommends getting the flu vaccine every year, between August and mid-October, before the flu season hits (usually November to May). The flu vaccine takes about two weeks to become effective.
Although there are many new medications designed to treat flu symptoms and even shorten the duration of the illness, the flu vaccine still offers the best protection against the flu.
Every year, the flu vaccine "cocktail" changes to combat the current strains of influenza affecting the population. The World Health Organization monitors flu outbreaks worldwide and recommends appropriate vaccine compositions to be used for the next year. Sometimes, however, a strain may appear that was not included in the flu vaccine. People who have had the flu vaccine tend to have milder symptoms if they contract the flu.
Pregnant women
All children under 5 years of age
People 50 years of age and older
Morbidly obese (BMI is 40-plus)
People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and chronic lung disease
People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
Health care workers
Household contact with people at high risk for complications from the flu
Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
Stay healthy — get the flu vaccine
Avoid illness during flu season by getting the vaccine. Talk to your doctor or visit a Sharp Community-authorized flu vaccine site.