5 Reasons to Get Your Seasonal Flu Shot ASAP

The 2024-2025 flu season is officially here. While there are many ways to reduce your risk of getting the flu — practicing good hand hygiene is nonnegotiable during cold and flu season — getting your seasonal flu shot is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others. 

As primary care providers, Dr. Asif Aziz, Guiselle Berry, FNP, and the team at Elite Primary Care, PA, know just how important your flu shot is for your own health, for the health of those you love, and for the greater community in Greenville, Texas.

Here are five reasons why you should get your seasonal flu shot as soon as possible.

1. Your flu shot protects you from serious complications 

The flu isn’t just a bad cold — it can lead to serious health complications, especially for young children, older adults, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic conditions. 

Complications of the flu include:

• Myocarditis (inflammation of your heart)
• Encephalitis (inflammation of your brain)
• Myositis and rhabdomyolysis (inflammation of muscle tissues)
• Organ failure 

Your flu shot can help reduce your risk of all of these. 

2. Flu shots take time to be effective

It takes about two weeks for your body to build up immunity after receiving the flu shot. By getting vaccinated ASAP, your immune system can get to work. 

The longer you wait, the longer you’re at risk of catching the flu this season. 

3. Your flu shot protects those you love

When you get the flu shot, you're not just protecting yourself — you’re also helping to protect those around you. This is especially important if you live with or care for individuals who are at higher risk of complications or those who can’t get vaccinated due to medical reasons.

4. The flu shot is helpful even if you get sick

There’s a mistaken idea that sometimes pops up during flu season — that if you still get the flu, your shot “didn’t work.” That’s not the case, though!

Even if you do get the flu after being vaccinated, the flu shot can reduce the severity of your symptoms and lower your risk of complications like pneumonia, bronchitis, or sinus infections. 

This can make your recovery quicker and less intense, keeping you out of the hospital and back to your routine faster. This also means fewer missed work and school days.

5. The flu shot can help reduce your risk of hospitalization and death

Not only does getting vaccinated reduce your risk of severe flu symptoms, but it also reduces your risk of intensive care unit (ICU)  hospitalization by 26%. It also reduces the risk of flu-related death by 31%.

Don’t wait — get your flu shot today!

When you come to Elite Primary Care, PA, getting your flu shot is fast and easy. After we clean the injection site on your arm, we administer the vaccine using a small needle. 

You may feel a brief pinch, and you might experience mild soreness at the injection site or slight fatigue afterward, which typically resolves within a day or two. These side effects are common but still a small price to pay considering all of the protections the seasonal flu shot gives you.

Schedule your flu shot ASAP! You can book an appointment online or call our team at 903-437-9212 to speak with our friendly team.