The answer is YES.
Medical professionals all agree that the senior population should be vaccinated. Data from the CDC and the AMA have made it clear that seniors have a higher risk of developing serious complications from symptoms associated with viruses such as Covid-19, the flu, shingles, and pneumonia.
Effectively, the body does not have as strong an immune system at an advanced age as a younger body. Vitamins and supplements can be helpful, but vaccinations ensure that seniors, even if they get sick, have a much better chance of avoiding hospitalization. The medical community has been clear about elders being less resilient. Seniors do not “bounce back from serious illness,” as they did at a younger age, and they may be sick much longer than a younger person.
The flu, Covid-19, and other viruses have been changing into “variants” or “iterations of the initial virus.” This means that vaccinations must be reformulated at least yearly.
The Covid-19 virus has been especially challenging to the medical community. Boosters that fight the current infective version of the Covid-19 virus have evolved and are recommended for seniors and everyone. The flu vaccine is updated yearly to ensure that it remains effective, and all seniors should take advantage of this and get vaccinated.
Preparation and information are the way to go. Don’t “wait and see what everyone else is doing” when boosters become available. If seniors are exposed to people in the general population, they are at risk.
Protection from certain vaccines can lessen with time, especially in older adults. This is one reason vaccines are recommended yearly for some diseases. And, when it comes to being around other people, no one knows who has and has not been vaccinated.
Thanks to vaccines, many people who develop viral symptoms will have a less serious illness eliminating the need for emergency care. Flu and other viruses can develop into pneumonia.
Let’s talk about pneumococcal pneumonia.
The flu seems to have come back with a vengeance now that many people no longer wear masks. Pneumococcal pneumonia is even more complicated. The pneumonia shot for seniors is a safe vaccine that can eliminate 50% to 70% of pneumonia infections. The vaccine helps protect against 20 types of pneumococcal bacteria known to cause serious infections in adults. Pneumococcal disease is a severe infection known to cause pneumonia, meningitis, and blood infection and can be fatal.