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Comment by eecc | Hacker News Reader

People, if you haven’t yet go get the seasonal flu vaccine. Reduces burden on strained ops and your risk of getting double tapped

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Cannot upvote this enough. Swine flu, in addition to covid-19, raises risk of complications from 20% to 70%.

Isn't this something you can only get if you are in at risk group? I can't go to my doctor and just get a flu shot, I don't think?

Everyone except very young children are encouraged to get the vaccine. You can get them at clinics, hospitals or chain pharmacies.

Yes, you can

You can in normal countries

That tends to only be the case when there's some limit on flu shot production. The normal case is that you can walk into most CVS or other pharmacy, ask for a flu shot, and walk out having been immunized within 15 minutes.

Even if you're not a high risk, getting a flu shot is an important preventative measure for any high risk individuals you may come in contact with.

In NL, I literally did just that: I walked in, asked if it was still worthwhile and the doc said “sure, we haven’t peaked on the flu yet. Want one?” I said “yeah” and we were done in 5 min max.

I guess it’s somehow got to do with living in a country with some leftovers of the Socialist hellhole it used to be... /s

Ahh, I love seeing these kinds of snarky comments go grey.

Let’s see how long it takes for yours to join :P

In the US, you don't even have to go to your doctor. Pretty much any in-pharmacy clinic will give you a shot as a walk-in and it's covered 100% by most insurance.

(There's a special version you get if you're in a risk group but most people over a certain age can get the standard one.)

Possibly more than 100% covered. My local CVS gives a nominal discount ($5) when you get a flu vaccine.

In the US you can stroll into Walmart and get a flu shot. Covered in full by most insurance and Medicare and so on.

Sometimes if the vaccine supply is impacted by something they will try to give it to at risk people first. I don't think there is any such restriction right now.

In Brazil they usually restrict the flu vaccine to just risk groups at the start of the vaccination campaign, but after that they open it up for everyone if there is still leftover stock.

you can also pay out of pocket to get the vaccine.

some private health insurances also cover it.

In the US, authorities recommend that everyone older than 6 months get the flu shot, and you can get it nearly anywhere with a pharmacy. I got mine at the grocery store.

In America, everyone should get it unless your doctor tells you not to.

In the US, you can get the flu shot at Wall-Greens. No doctor visit necessary. Insurance usually covers the entire cost, but I think it’s pretty cheap otherwise.

Depending on where you live you can get a flu shot at your local pharmacy. You just have to pay, unless you're over a certain age, then it's free... Again depending one where you live.

One issue may be the availability of flu shots at this point. Also there is a small risk of getting sick from the shot, which would put you at increased risk if contracting Covid-19.

Are you saying the flu vaccine can help prevent covid-19? Just trying to clarify. I'm traveling to Asia in 3 weeks from US and haven't gotten the flu shot the past year. I got it in 2017 and got sick, 2018 and got sick, but last year I decided not to and didn't get sick at all. Maybe just a coincidence though.

No, it can't. But it can prevent getting both at the same time.

No, but you really don't want to get both the flu and coronavirus at the same time. And on a community level - if you're not going into the ER because you have swine flu, that's one more bed/ventilator that can be used for a coronavirus patient.

It's also just a good idea. Spanish/Swine Flu (H1N1) is circulating again this year, and if we didn't have coronavirus occupying all the headlines people would be talking about the swine flu epidemic. (In fact, they were, back in November - there were a bunch of articles about how this year would be an unusually bad flu season.)

Thanks for the info. Maybe should head to the pharmacy for a free shot then.

But please inform yourself before.

In my area in germany for example, the flu is already peaking, so it would be actually harmful to get the vaccine now, as the protection time is around 2 weeks later(I think) and the vaccine temporarily lowers your immune system. Which means, getting the vaccine now means actually a higher risk of getting the real flu (or something else).

Vaccines should be taken ahead of the season.

> the vaccine temporarily lowers your immune system

Medical science seems to disagree with you.

Edit: And HN disagrees with me. Have we become Reddit? On second thought, don't answer that. Bro science has a long tradition on HN just like anywhere else.

Yep, it actually takes decades to lower the immune system: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870374/ .

Hm. And where?

Because the known side effects can be: dizziness, fever, headache, fainting. I associate those with general low energy, meaning lower immune system. Now the last conclusion might be incorrect, true, I don't know if I drew this conclusion by myself or have this from a medical person. In either case, medical doctors here definitely advised against taking the vaccine now.

No, it’s the immune reaction to the inoculation. It means there actually was something to look at in the shot

Yes. Usual mostly those things to look at are mercury etc. which are in the shot to make the immune system react.

Now, this immune reaction means stress, right? The question is just, does this mean the immune system is general in a more active state so it can fight other diseases also more effectivly, or is it fully occupied with the fake illness, so real diseases can enter? I don't know, but would like a medical person to answer me that.

> mercury etc. which are in the shot to make the immune system react

By mercury do you mean Thimerosal? It is a preservative, it is not an active ingredient of the vaccine.

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