The flu stops with you.
Flu season is upon us and we’re reminding everyone the get their flu shot. The flu shot not only protects you, but also helps prevent the spread of influenza to vulnerable populations, including young children and older adults. As we continue to make our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, getting your flu shot is a crucial step in keeping everyone safe and healthy.
Women’s College Hospital staff, physicians, and learners are strongly encouraged to roll up their sleeves for the flu shot, either at a WCH flu clinic or through your family doctor, local pharmacy, or city-run community clinic.
Visit the WCH Flu Shot Clinic
These will be the LAST TWO flu shot clinic dates, so make sure you stop by!
To get your flu vaccine at WCH, visit our drop-in flu shot clinic:
Tuesday, November 22
9 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. – Outside the Pink Cube
12 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Wellness Lounge, room 3324, 3rd floor
Thursday, November 24
10 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. – 2nd Floor Conference Room 2239
11:45 p.m. – 3 p.m. – Outside the Pink Cube
Staff, physicians, learners and volunteers can book an appointment for their flu shot for other dates and times through Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness (OHSW) by emailing ohs@wchospital.ca or at ext. 6023. Managers can also book a flu cart to come to their departments by contacting OHSW.
If you have already received your flu shot elsewhere, please make sure to send your vaccination documentation to flushot@wchospital.ca.
Win Great Prizes
What do you get when you enrobe a sheep in chocolate?
A chocolate baaaaa-r!
Staff who receive their flu shot on- or off-site will get a free, full-size chocolate baaaa-r and will be entered into weekly draws for Le Prep gift certificates. If you received your flu shot in another location, provide your vaccine information to OHSW flushot@wchospital.ca. and your name will be entered into the draw
P.S. There will be no sheep, just chocolate bars.
Stay Safe
After you get your flu shot, don’t forget to keep up with other control measures:
- Practice excellent hand hygiene
- Wear a mask at all times on hospital premises; masking is recommended in all public spaces
- Avoid touching your face
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
- Clean and disinfect common surfaces and objects
- Stay at home when you are sick
Q: Can you get the flu from the flu shot?
A: Even though the vaccine used in flu shot injections contains no live virus, this is one of the most common myths about flu shots. Some people report that they became ill after having the shot, but had probably already been exposed to the sickness that made them ill.
It takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to take effect, leaving people at risk immediately after getting a shot. This delay is one of the reasons we encourage everyone to get their flu shot early.
Q: Do I need a flu shot if I got one last year?
A: There are two key reasons for receiving your flu shot every year. One reason is that the protection provided by a flu shot wears off over time. The second is that there are several different strains of the influenza virus that mutate, or change. Each year, research is done to predict which strains are likely to be common for the upcoming season. The vaccine is updated yearly based on these findings, to try to make it as effective as possible against the current season’s flu virus.
Q: Should pregnant women get the flu shot?
A: Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) notes that pregnant women are at increased risk for complications from flu, and recommends flu shots for all pregnant women.
Flu shots by injection are safe in pregnancy and are actively encouraged. In fact, NACI notes that vaccinating pregnant women protects their newborns against influenza – as babies cannot be vaccinated until six months. Those who are breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant are also encouraged to get the vaccination.
Q: How effective is the flu shot?
A: There are many different strains of flu virus and the vaccine does not protect against all of them. Effectiveness can vary from year to year depending on how accurately the vaccine matches the strains that are circulating that year, and some years the effectiveness is not as high as others. However, receiving the flu shot gives you more protection than not getting the vaccination.
Q: If I eat well and exercise, can I still get the flu?
A: A healthy lifestyle is very important to your overall well-being and long-term health, but flu shots and good hand hygiene are the best defense against flu. Also, working in the healthcare industry, we may be exposed to the influenza virus more than individuals working elsewhere.
The flu virus spreads through droplets that are transported when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. People nearby can inhale these droplets and become infected. These droplets can also be left on surfaces such as doorknobs, elevator buttons or other surfaces that many people touch. Another person can become infected by touching these surfaces and then touching their own nose, mouth or eyes. That’s why it’s so important to clean your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer.
Q: How serious is the flu?
A: The influenza virus can lead to very serious complications such as pneumonia, hospitalization and, in rare cases, even death. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, there are approximately billion cases of flu worldwide every year, with three to five million of those cases causing severe illness including 250,000 to 500,000 deaths. Even in cases that don’t become severe or life-threatening, the flu is very unpleasant and usually lasts between 10 days and two weeks.
Another thing to consider is the possibility of passing the flu virus to someone more vulnerable, such as people over age 65 or under age five, pregnant women and people with other health conditions. These individuals are more likely to develop serious complications trigged by an initial flu infection.
Q: Do I need to get the flu shot, if I have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine already?
A: You are encouraged to get both.
Q: Should I get my flu shot before or after my COVID-19 booster/vaccine?
A: Most people can get the flu vaccine at the same time, or before or after a COVID-19 vaccine. Children 6 months to under 5 years old should wait two weeks before and after their COVID-19 vaccine before receiving other vaccines to avoid attributing any potential adverse
Myth: You can get the flu from the flu shot.
Fact: This is simply not true. In fact, it’s impossible.
Even though the vaccine used in flu shot injections contains no live virus, this is one of the most common myths about flu shots. Some people report that they became ill after having the shot, but had probably already been exposed to the sickness that made them ill.
It takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to take effect, leaving people at risk immediately after getting a shot. This delay is one of the reasons we encourage everyone to get their flu shot early.
Myth: I don’t need a flu shot because I got one last year.
Fact: To be protected, you need to get a flu shot every year.
There are two key reasons for receiving your flu shot every year. One reason is that the protection provided by a flu shot wears off over time. The second is that there are several different strains of the influenza virus that mutate, or change. Each year, research is done to predict which strains are likely to be common for the upcoming season. The vaccine is updated yearly based on these findings, to try to make it as effective as possible against the current season’s flu virus.
Myth: Pregnant women should not get a flu shot.
Fact: Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) notes that pregnant women are at increased risk for complications from flu, and recommends flu shots for all pregnant women.
Flu shots by injection are safe in pregnancy and are actively encouraged. In fact, NACI notes that vaccinating pregnant women protects their newborns against influenza – as babies cannot be vaccinated until six months. Those who are breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant are also encouraged to get the vaccination.
Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine will protect me against the flu.
Fact: COVID-19 and the flu are viruses from different families with different genetic makeups.
The COVID-19 and flu viruses are different. In other words, their respective vaccine is targeted towards the specific virus, meaning there is no cross-targeted protection. Flu vaccine to flu, COVID-19 vaccine to COVID-19. People are encouraged to get their flu vaccine as well as their COVID-19 booster shots. In adults, COVID-19 vaccines may be given at the same time as, or any time before or after, other vaccines.