Why It's Important
Millions of Americans get sick with the flu every season. Getting a flu shot protects you, your loved ones, and your community from the flu.
This season it’s more important than ever to get a flu shot. We need to prevent the flu, save medical resources, and protect health workers caring for people with COVID-19. If you've never gotten a flu shot before, this is the year to start, especially with COVID-19 spreading.
Reasons to Get a Flu Shot This Season
Keep yourself from getting sick
Flu vaccines prevent millions of people from getting the flu every season. During the 2019-2020 flu season, flu vaccines prevented an estimated 8.7 million people from getting the flu, 105,000 flu-related hospitalizations, and 6,300 flu-related deaths.
Save medical resources
During the 2019-2020 flu season, the flu caused an estimated 18 million medical visits. Getting a flu vaccine can help to reduce the burden on doctors and nurses as they fight COVID-19. Last season, flu vaccines prevented 3.7 million medical visits.
Protect your loved ones
A flu vaccine helps protect the people around you who are more likely to get very sick from the flu, like babies, young children, pregnant women and older adults.
Protect people with diabetes and heart disease
People with certain chronic conditions are at high risk of getting very sick from flu including being hospitalized or even dying. Getting a flu vaccine reduces the risk of giving the flu to people with asthma, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and sickle cell anemia.
Save time
Getting a flu vaccine can prevent you from getting sick with flu. People who get the flu are usually sick for about a week. Staying healthy means you can be there for your loved ones who depend on you.
Reduce severity of illness
You may still get the flu if you get a flu vaccine, but you won’t get as sick. Flu vaccines have been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
Flu Facts