Sweater Weather

Autumn brings with it a predictable rhythm. The air chills, the leaves turn colour and fall, and we wrap ourselves in the coziest of our sweaters in preparation for the winter ahead.

Many of us already have the fall routine of visiting our health care team or pharmacy for a flu shot. With COVID-19 here to stay, each of us should also add a COVID-19 booster to our fall wellness schedule.

The influenza vaccine is updated each year. Scientists try to match the vaccine with the strain of flu that they expect to circulate that year.

Likewise, the COVID-19 vaccines have evolved as the virus has changed over time. The goal is for the vaccines to match the strain of coronavirus most common in our communities so that they are as effective as possible. 

A vaccine booster reminds our immune systems to stay on the look out and fight hard if exposed to the virus. Because protection from the vaccine lessens over time, COVID-19 boosters are encouraged every 6 months to decrease our chances of severe illness and hospitalization. If you are at increased risk of severe illness from a COVID-19 infection, please speak with your health care provider about getting a booster even more frequently. 

Book COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment

To find a full list of vaccination locations, dates and times, go to www.swpublichealth.ca/covid19vaccine 

Flu shots and COVID-19 vaccines are two ways in which we can protect our health during “sweater weather,” when respiratory viruses are most common. Of course, basic infection prevention strategies are in fashion, no matter what season:

• Gather outdoors as much as possible; keep the windows open to encourage good air circulation.
• Encourage people to stay home if they are sick. Let loved ones know they will be missed, and you’ll catch up when they feel well again. Tip: Try a virtual visit if someone has "the sniffles."
• Keep surfaces disinfected, wash hands frequently, make hand sanitizer easily available, and wear your mask indoors, in crowded spaces, and around the most vulnerable.

Keeping up-to-date with routine vaccinations, connecting socially with the people we care about, moving our bodies in ways that feel good, and eating a wide variety of nutritious foods - all round out the ways we can strengthen ourselves physically and mentally as we head into the long winter season.

Did you know? The newest COVID-19 vaccines are called “bivalent.” When it comes to the COVID-19 vaccines, bivalent does not mean "COVID plus flu" in one vaccine, it means the vaccine protects against two different strains of COVID.