Received this email from a friend? Sign up now

View this email in your web browser

July 25, 2024 This message includes updates on respiratory viruses from CDC.

COVID-19 Can Increase During Any Season of the Year

Many respiratory virus illnesses peak during the winter due to environmental conditions and human behaviors. COVID-19 has peaks in the winter and also at other times of the year, including the summer. This is driven in part by new variants and decreasing immunity from previous infections and vaccinations.

CDC's respiratory virus guidance has steps you can take to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 this summer.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2024-2025 season have not yet been approved or authorized. Until then, if you have never been vaccinated, or feel you need additional protection and are eligible for another dose, you might consider getting the currently available 2023-2024 COVID vaccine. This decision should be made in consultation with your healthcare provider and you should consider that receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccine could delay your eligibility to immediately get the updated vaccine this fall.

Those who might benefit from additional doses of vaccine this summer include:

people 65 years of age and older
those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised or have underlying medical conditions,
people living in long-term care facilities,
people of any age who have not received any doses of COVID-19 vaccine,
pregnant individuals, especially those in late pregnancy.

Learn More

COVID-19 Treatment Helps Prevent Hospitalization and Death

Testing for COVID-19 can help you decide what to do next, like getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and taking steps to lower your chances of spreading the virus to others.

If you have COVID-19 and are more likely to get very sick, treatments are available that can reduce your risk of hospitalization and death. The benefits of COVID-19 treatment outweigh the risk of rebound if you are at high risk for severe COVID-19.

Don’t delay: Treatments must be started within 5-7 days after you first develop symptoms. Patient assistance programs are available to people who are underinsured, uninsured, or on Medicaid or Medicare to lower their out-of-pocket costs.

People at higher risk for severe COVID-19 include:

Older adults, especially those ages 65 years or older
People who are not vaccinated or are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations
People with certain medical conditions, such as chronic lung disease, heart disease, or a weakened immune system.

Learn More

CDC H5N1 Bird Flu Response Update

CDC continues to respond to the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in dairy cows in the United States. Recent CDC activities include reporting key findings of the Michigan-led study of blood samples collected from workers at dairy farms that experienced an outbreak of A(H5N1) virus among cattle; an analysis of the genetic sequence of the virus isolated from one of the Colorado poultry farm workers recently diagnosed with H5N1 infection; and confirmation of two additional cases of bird flu in Colorado poultry farm workers on July 19, 2024.

Learn More

	Respiratory Virus Data Channel Weekly Snapshot The Respiratory Virus Weekly Snapshot provides an update on COVID-19, flu, and RSV activity nationally and in your state. Check back every Friday for the latest data. Learn More

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd Atlanta, GA 30329 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) TTY: 888-232-6348 Questions or Problems \| Unsubscribe

Received this email from a friend? Sign up now

View this email in your web browser

July 2, 2024 This message includes updates on respiratory viruses from CDC. CDC Updates COVID-19, Flu, and RSV Vaccination Recommendations On June 26 and 27, 2024, CDC updated its recommendations for vaccination against COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendation

CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine when these vaccines are available later this year. The 2024-2025 vaccine is formulated to protect against currently circulating variants of COVID-19 and will protect people from the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness this fall and winter. Vaccination continues to remain the safest and most dependable strategy to build immunity and protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death caused by COVID-19.

Learn More

Updated 2024-2025 Flu Vaccine Recommendation

CDC recommends everyone 6 months of age and older, with rare exceptions, receive an updated 2024-2025 flu vaccine to reduce the risk of influenza and its potentially serious complications this fall and winter. Most people need only one dose of the flu vaccine each season. While CDC recommends flu vaccination as long as influenza viruses are circulating, September and October remain the best times for most people to get vaccinated.

The updated 2024-2025 flu vaccine will be trivalent and will protect against an H1N1, H3N2 and a B/Victoria lineage virus. The composition of this season’s vaccine compared to last has been updated with a new influenza A(H3N2) virus.

Learn More

Updated RSV Vaccination Recommendation for Older Adults

If you have not already received an RSV vaccine and are age 60 or older, CDC now recommends a single dose of RSV vaccine as listed below:

Everyone ages 75 and older
People ages 60–74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV, meaning they have certain chronic medical conditions, such as lung or heart disease, or they live in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.

The updated recommendation for adults 60 and older is intended to simplify RSV vaccine decision-making for clinicians and the public. It is based on data about which groups of older adults are most likely to get a severe RSV illness, and the effectiveness of RSV vaccines introduced in 2023.

The best time to get vaccinated is in late summer or early fall, before RSV usually starts to spread in the community. However, eligible adults can get an RSV vaccine at any time.