New COVID-19 and Flu vaccines available in Valley ahead of fall and winter

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The caller FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-2025 play is present disposable to springiness you a caller dose of extortion from the virus.

The CDC recommends everyone implicit six months aged person some the updated COVID changeable and an yearly flu shot, ideally successful September oregon October earlier highest play starts.

"Most radical haven't been vaccinated with up-to-date vaccines. What they had is the aged vaccines, truthful if you haven't been vaccinated the past 12 months, you're fundamentally retired of date," says Dr. Bobby Dhaliwal.

According to the CDC, if you conscionable had COVID, you could hold astir 3 months earlier going successful for your adjacent booster unless you are considered high-risk oregon unrecorded with a loved 1 who is high-risk.

Dr. Bobby Dhaliwal, CVS Pharmacist and Central Valley District leader, says the cardinal quality to the caller vaccines is that they're created to combat the caller strains of each microorganism that are being commonly circulated close now.

"When you get a vaccine, whether it's the COVID oregon the flu shot, that strain is applicable astatine that time. Eventually, your assemblage starts to deterioration disconnected again. It's a virus, truthful it mutates and changes," says Dr. Dhaliwal.

The caller vaccines are already disposable astatine section pharmacies, including CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid. According to a CVS Health Survey, 48% of respondents program to get the flu vaccine, and 60% would similar to get both.

Dr. Dhaliwal says the sooner you tin get both, the better.

"It's important to recognize with COVID and the flu, that it takes a fewer weeks for the immunity to physique and we're heading into September. It is wholly harmless to get some of them together," says Dr. Dhaliwal.

Fresno County and different agencies program to rotation retired vaccines for the uninsured oregon underinsured successful the coming weeks.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California expects to person their proviso and statesman administering it by mid-September.

They archer Action News, that if they person shipments earlier, they volition statesman organisation earlier.

Dr. Kenny Banh runs UCSF's Mobile Heal Clinic focused connected vaccinating susceptible groups who whitethorn different deficiency access.

He says portion the pandemic seems agelong gone, the request for vaccines remains.

"People person to commencement reasoning astir it similar different infectious diseases similar flu, similar different things that we person to control, oregon we'll person spikes. We should person regular vaccinations. That's an important portion of keeping america from going backmost into lockdowns and disguise requirements," says Dr. Banh.

Fresno County has a comparatively debased vaccination rate. In 2023, lone astir 7% of the colonisation got the latest dose.

"For the San Joaquin Valley close now, the COVID levels are successful the mean levels but for respective different parts of the state, they're successful the precocious levels. Overall, COVID is circulating successful the community," says Dr. Trinidad Solis, Deputy Health Officer for the Fresno County Department of Public Health.

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