Skip to main content

Military Health System

Time to Get Your Flu Shot and Your COVID-19 Booster, Too

Image of Senior MHS officials and medics from the Pentagon stand together Oct. 13 after receiving their flu shots and bivalent COVID-19 boosters..". Senior MHS officials and medics from the Pentagon stand together Oct. 13 after receiving their flu shots and bivalent COVID-19 boosters.."

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus & the MHS Response | COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts | Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Toolkit | Immunizations | Coronavirus

It’s shot season: Time again to get the annual influenza vaccination for you and your family. And this year, defense health officials are encouraging Military Health System beneficiaries to pair the flu shot with the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine booster if you’ve already had your primary vaccine series and are 12 and older.

U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Rear Adm. Brandon Taylor, the director of Defense Health Agency Public Health, said vaccines greatly reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, and how “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”

You can get the influenza and COVID-19 shots at the same time, but that doesn’t mean double the side effects.

“COVID-19 vaccinations used to be given separately due to concerns about possible immediate side effects,” said Dr. David Hrncir, regional medical director of the Central Vaccine Safety Hub, DHA-Immunization Healthcare Division.

“However, with the very large number of immunizations, immediate side effects following receipt of the COVID-19 vaccine have proven to be extremely rare,” he said.

The bivalent boosters protect against the original form of the infectious respiratory disease as well as against the dominant omicron variant and its subvariants, which continue to mutate to become more easily transmissible.

When and Where to Get the Flu Shot

Ideally, everyone 6 months and older should be vaccinated for flu by the end of October, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Katie Martinez, deputy director of operations at IHD.
Nevertheless, getting the flu vaccine later can still offer protection, even if you get it in the fall or early winter.

All flu vaccines in the United States for the 2022-2023 season protect against four different circulating flu viruses.

There should be no shortage of vaccine. The Department of Defense “has received 100% of ordered flu vaccine, and 2 million doses have shipped to military medical treatment facility locations both CONUS and OCONUS for administration,” Martinez said.

“Shipments continue every week, and we recommend that beneficiaries check with their local military medical treatment facility for availability,” she noted.

All active-duty service members are required to get an annual flu shot. Vaccines are available to all MHS beneficiaries at military hospitals and clinics, at installation vaccination events, and through TRICARE participating network pharmacies. 

If you use a TRICARE-authorized provider, the flu shot itself comes at no cost, but when you get the vaccine from your provider, you may have a copay or cost-share for the office visit or for other services received during the office visit.

At-Risk Populations

It’s particularly important to get vaccinated against the flu and its potentially serious complications if you are at higher risk. 

CDC has a full list of age and health factors that mean an increased risk, but some of those populations are:

  • Immunocompromised
  • 5 years old and younger
  • 65 and older
  • Pregnant
  • Chronically ill

Influenza can cause significant illness, especially in children under 5. Getting the vaccine helps children protect themselves and more at-risk people they come in regular contact with, such as their grandparents or siblings under 6 months old.

Some children may need two doses of flu vaccine, CDC noted. Those children should get the first dose as soon as vaccine is available, because the second dose needs to be given at least four weeks after the first.

For those 65 and older, the CDC recommends one of three flu vaccines because they have shown in studies of older individuals to create a stronger immune response. These vaccines are:

If you have questions, consult with your provider about which vaccine is right for you, Martinez said.

Antiviral Treatment for Flu Symptoms

The CDC recommends treatment with antivirals for people who have flu or suspected symptoms and who are at higher risk of serious flu complications, such as people with asthma, diabetes, including gestational diabetes, or heart disease.

The antivirals work best when treatment is started within two days of becoming sick with flu symptoms and can lessen fever and flu symptoms and shorten the time you are sick by about one day, Martinez said.

When Will the Flu Season Start?

Flu season usually runs from October through May, peaking in December through February, but it can continue through June.

Global health organizations, including DHA, monitor influenza activity around the world so health agencies can work with industry to develop the best vaccines suited to the particular strains that are circulating.

One region they base their formulations on is the Southern Hemisphere. That’s because peak flu season is the fall and winter, and those seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.

Hrncir said there was an “early influenza season in the Southern Hemisphere, so it is reasonable to expect an early influenza season this fall and winter in the Northern Hemisphere.”

The number of cases in Australia, for example, surpassed pre-COVID pandemic levels. However, since the start of the COVID pandemic in early 2020, the timing and duration of flu activity has been less predictable.

You also may be interested in...

Formulary Search Tool Buckslip (Page 1)

Infographic
1/27/2022

The front side of a buck slip. Educates beneficiaries what the search tool is and what information can be found. Links to esrx.com/tform. Has three graphics grouped together on the right hand side.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Pharmacy Operations Toolkit

Formulary Search Tool Buckslip: Color

Publication
1/27/2022

A color copy of buck slips on the TRICARE Formulary Search Tool. Educates beneficiaries what the search tool is and what information can be found. Includes a QR code, and features a link to esrx.com/tform. ESI and TRICARE logos are on the bottom right.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Pharmacy Operations Toolkit

Formulary Search Tool Buckslip: Black and White

Publication
1/27/2022

A set of three, black & white buck slips on the TRICARE Formulary Search Tool. Educates beneficiaries what the search tool is and what information can be found. Includes a QR code, and features a link to esrx.com/tform. ESI and TRICARE logos are on the bottom right.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Pharmacy Operations Toolkit

Public Health nurses offer insights on living with COVID-19 now, looking into future

Article Around MHS
1/25/2022
The Challenges of Living with COVID

One of the more challenging jobs for any public health professional is dealing with unpredictability inherent in outbreaks like the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus & the MHS Response

Do You Have COVID-19? Influenza? Or is it RSV? Here’s What to Look For

Article
1/24/2022
Military personnel preparing a COVID-19 test sample for processing

Knowing the symptoms of COVID-19/RSV/Flu will help your medical treatment

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Toolkit | Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Medical and Dental Preventive Care Fitness | Children's Health

Medical Leaders Address COVID-19 Concerns During Family Forum

Article
1/21/2022
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jemuel Macabali, from San Diego, Calif., gives the COVID-19 vaccine to staff at Camp Lemonnier, in Djibouti, Aug. 13, 2021.

Top health leaders talk about the recent spike in COVID-19 infections and the impact on the military community.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus & the MHS Response

Navy Hospital Corpsman steps into the breach in the war on COVID-19

Article Around MHS
1/18/2022
Hospitalman Hector Conde standing in front of a immunization office's refrigeration

First responders and those fighting on the medical battleground have earned well-deserved recognition for their efforts.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus & the MHS Response

Critically ill COVID Patient Delivers Baby While on Heart-Lung Bypass

Article
1/11/2022
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hernandez and his wife, Ashley, take a family portrait with their six children. Ashley is BAMC’s first patient to give birth while on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Hernandez, a Marine Corps spouse and mother of five, is BAMC’s first patient to give birth while on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Recommended Content:

Women's Health | Coronavirus & the MHS Response

Quarantine vs Isolation

Infographic
1/10/2022

Been exposed or feeling symptoms of COVID-19? Make sure you understand the difference between quarantine and isolation to keep your community safe. https://tricare.mil/coronavirus

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Prevent COVID-19

We Can Do It (1081 x 1081)

Infographic
1/10/2022

We can do it: Simple measures can protect you and your community. Wear a mask, get vaccinated, and check out where and when you can get your booster! https://tricare.mil/coronavirus

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Prevent COVID-19

We Have the Tools

Infographic
1/10/2022

We have the tools to fight: Protect yourself and your community from the spread of COVID-19 with the right tools. Make sure you wear your mask, get vaccinated, and find your nearest testing site. Learn more https://tricare.mil/coronavirus

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Prevent COVID-19

We Can Do It (1201 x 901)

Infographic
1/10/2022

We can do it: Simple measures can protect you and your community. Wear a mask, get vaccinated, and check out where and when you can get your booster! https://tricare.mil/coronavirus

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Prevent COVID-19

DHA Form 236: Pediatric (5-11 years) COVID-19 Vaccine Screening and Immunization Documentation, v10

Form/Template
1/7/2022

This form is used to determine if the COVID-19 vaccine can be administered to the pediatric patient. (Version 10, December 2022)

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts | Children's Health | Immunization Healthcare Division

This is my Why

Article Around MHS
12/30/2021
Air Force Senior Airman Marcus Bullock poses for a photo after receiving his COVID-19 vaccination

Air Force Senior Airman Marcus Bullock stated his reason for getting the vaccine was to help his mother and son be able to have a play date again.

Recommended Content:

COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts | Coronavirus & the MHS Response

Development of WRAIR’s Pan-Coronavirus Vaccine Shows Promise

Article
12/28/2021
A vial of spike ferritin nanoparticle WRAIR's COVID-19 vaccine

Series of preclinical studies supports the Army’s pan-coronavirus vaccine development strategy

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Vaccine | Coronavirus & the MHS Response | COVID-19 Vaccine Efforts
<< < ... 6 7 8 9 10  ... > >> 
Showing results 76 - 90 Page 6 of 35
Refine your search
Last Updated: October 14, 2022
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery