Current:Home > MarketsNot vaccinated for COVID or flu yet? Now's the time ahead of Thanksgiving, CDC director says.-LoTradeCoin
Not vaccinated for COVID or flu yet? Now's the time ahead of Thanksgiving, CDC director says.
View Date:2024-12-23 19:24:32
With Thanksgiving only two weeks away, now's the time to get protected against potentially deadly fall viruses.
In an interview with CBS News, Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said this is the best window to get vaccinated to protect yourself and your family for the holiday.
"We know we're going to see more flu starting to circulate, and more COVID, so right now is a great time for you to get vaccinated. That way, your body can build up its protection ahead of the holiday season," she said.
Cohen got her COVID shot last month and acknowledged COVID vaccine uptake in the U.S. is a little slow.
"I know folks want to leave COVID in the rear-view mirror, but unfortunately it is still here, and is still causing folks to get very sick and even die," she said.
The CDC says it expects to see flu, COVID and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, all circulating at the same time this season, but how severely could depend on vaccination levels.
For RSV, an illness that typically causes cold-like symptoms but can sometimes be severe, especially for infants and older adults, there are a few prevention tools, including an immunization to protect babies and a vaccine for people ages 60 and up.
"Talk to your health care provider and see if they recommend it for you," Dr. Céline Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, suggested earlier this fall.
Even if you are fully vaccinated, there are additional precautions to consider for Thanksgiving gatherings, including staying home if you're sick, wearing a mask in some situations, and increasing ventilation. If weather allows, for example, consider a meal outside.
"It's really about, Who are you? What's your personal risk? And who are you going to be around?" Cohen says.
- In:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- COVID-19 Vaccine
- COVID-19
- Flu Season
- Influenza
Michael George is a correspondent for CBS Newspath based in New York City.
TwitterveryGood! (7)
Related
- The Daily Money: Mattel's 'Wicked' mistake
- This is America's most common text-messaging scam, FTC says
- Coach Outlet's New Y2K Shop Has 70% Off Deals on Retro-Inspired Styles
- More older Americans become homeless as inflation rises and housing costs spike
- Brian Kelly asks question we're all wondering after Alabama whips LSU, but how to answer?
- Los Angeles county DA's office quits Twitter due to vicious homophobic attacks not removed by social media platform
- Food insecurity is driving women in Africa into sex work, increasing HIV risk
- Antarctica Ice Loss Tripled in 5 Years, and That’s Raising Sea Level Risks
- All the Ways Megan Fox Hinted at Her Pregnancy With Machine Gun Kelly
- The rules of improv can make you funnier. They can also make you more confident.
Ranking
- Halle Berry surprises crowd in iconic 2002 Elie Saab gown from her historic Oscar win
- How banks and hospitals are cashing in when patients can't pay for health care
- Could this cheaper, more climate-friendly perennial rice transform farming?
- Get That “No Makeup Makeup Look and Save 50% On It Cosmetics Powder Foundation
- Burger King is giving away a million Whoppers for $1: Here's how to get one
- Justice Department unseals Donald Trump indictment — and reveals the charges against him
- Hurricane Season 2018: Experts Warn of Super Storms, Call For New Category 6
- South Carolina officer rescues woman mouthing help me during traffic stop
Recommendation
-
RHOBH's Erika Jayne Reveals Which Team She's on Amid Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley Feud
-
Destructive Flood Risk in U.S. West Could Triple if Climate Change Left Unchecked
-
The strange but true story of how a Kenyan youth became a world-class snow carver
-
Dear Life Kit: How do I get out of my pandemic rut? Michelle Obama weighs in
-
Man accused of killing American tourist in Budapest, putting her body in suitcase: Police
-
Today’s Climate: August 18, 2010
-
Don't Let These 60% Off Good American Deals Sell Out Before You Can Add Them to Your Cart
-
The Paris Climate Problem: A Dangerous Lack of Urgency