Flu vaccine: Why I've decided to have it for the first time – Steve Cardownie

I have never had a flu jab and have never considered getting one – until this year.

The flu vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect against the disease (Michelle Adamson)

I know that a flu jab will not stave off Covid-19 but it might just ensure I do not come down with the flu this, of all years, in the midst of Covid-19.

I can’t recall the last time I ever had the flu (decades ago?) so I have always felt the jab was unnecessary and did not want to “tempt providence”, but I am aware there is a first time for everything.

Given the current predictions of the likely Covid-19 infection rate this winter and its ramifications for the health sector, the last thing I want to do is needlessly add to the burden by requiring treatment for an avoidable ailment.

The NHS website informs us, that despite some people thinking the contrary, the flu vaccine cannot give you flu as it doesn’t contain live virus, so if you are unwell after vaccination you may have caught something else or got flu before the vaccine has kicked in, which can take 10 to 14 days. While flu vaccines help protect against the main types of flu, there is still a chance that you might get a different type.

It is also rare for anyone to have a serious allergic reaction to the jab.

I believe the evidence as presented and for the first time will be making my way to the doc’s for the jab. Obviously, it is a matter of individual choice but just as on the Covid-19 pandemic, I would be extremely careful to verify the source of the information before accepting it as valid.

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