Influenza vaccines should be administered by the end of October. The Centers for Disease Control is recommending that everyone 6-months of age or older get a flu shot by the time Halloween rolls around. They advise that getting it later can still be beneficial before the peak flu season spikes in February.

Washington County Public Health Nurse Lynn Fisher recommends getting a flu vaccine to help protect the other people around you, especially those who are too young or immunocompromised and cannot get the immunization themselves, “You’ll really create a cocoon around those people. Because you’re right, those people will not be able to receive a flu vaccine. So that will help prevent you from getting the flu and then protect them. So it really is like an invisible shield around the person that can’t get vaccinated. When you yourself are going to be protected and won’t be getting the flu, influenza won’t be able to get into your family unit.” It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to build antibodies in your system.