2023 Vaccination Updates, Testing, and Treatment FAQ

Yes, you can get flu and COVID vaccinations at the same time.

Although RSV infection generally causes mild upper respiratory disease in healthy adults, RSV can cause serious illness in adults with certain underlying medical conditions or other risk factors. Adults ages 60 years and older who are at higher risk for severe RSV disease include:

• those with chronic medical conditions such as:
  • lung diseases (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma)
  • cardiovascular diseases (e.g., congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease)
  • neurologic or neuromuscular conditions
  • kidney disorders
  • liver disorders
  • hematologic disorders
  • diabetes mellitus
  • moderate or severe immune compromise (either attributable to a medical condition or receipt of immunosuppressive medications or treatment)
• those who are frail
• those of advanced age
• those who reside in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities
• those with other underlying medical conditions or factors that a health care provider determines might increase the risk of severe respiratory disease

Because flu and COVID have similar symptoms, but different treatment options, it is important to take a COVID at-home PCR test prior to seeking virtual or in-person care. At-home COVID tests are available over the counter and are acceptable tests to allow a Kelsey-Seybold provider to prescribe COVID treatments and prescriptions, if needed.

Because many COVID symptoms mirror flu and cold symptoms, your provider may need to rule out COVID before they can prescribe other forms of treatment.

If you are running a fever in addition to upper respiratory illness or flu/cold like symptoms, take an at-home COVID test. If your test is negative, we recommend having a Virtual Visit (Video Visit or E-Visit) as soon as possible. Antiviral medication (Tamiflu) must be taken within 36 hours of flu symptoms onset to effectively help reduce the recovery time and severity of flu symptoms.

Generally, it takes about two weeks after your vaccination to build up immunity in your system. This is why getting your seasonal immunizations as soon as possible is so important.

You should get the new COVID-19 vaccine even if you already had COVID-19.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID infection provides added protection against COVID. You may consider delaying your vaccine by 3 months from when your symptoms started or, if you had no symptoms, when you received a positive test.

People who already had COVID and do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more likely to get COVID again than those who are vaccinated after their recovery.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is always changing, and protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time. Receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccine can help restore protection and provide enhanced protection against the variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States.

• For ages six months and older the current recommendation is:
• If it has been less than 2 months since last vaccination: The CDC recommends waiting at least two months after your last vaccination to get the new COVID-19 vaccine.
• If it has been 2-6 months since last vaccination: You will have immunity from the last vaccine dosage you received, but the CDC recommends you get the new vaccination, which more effectively matches the current COVID strains.
• More than 6 months since last vaccination: The CDC recommends that you receive the new COVID-19 vaccine to protect against potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness this fall and winter.

There are several ways you can get your immunizations at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic.

1. Get your immunizations at an upcoming in-office doctor’s appointment.
2. Schedule an “immunization only” appointment through MyKelseyOnline/MyKelsey app or by calling our 24/7 Contact Center at 713-893-0102.
3. Medicare Advantage patients can walk-in to any Kelsey Pharmacy location and receive seasonal vaccinations (flu, COVID-19, RSV, as well as other immunizations). [

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The good news is that this year there is a new vaccine available to help protect and fight RSV that was not available last year. In 2022, a large RSV outbreak spanned the young and very old, and no treatments or vaccines were available for it. This year, an FDA-approved vaccine will be available this fall for RSV for people over the age of 60.

If you are between the ages of 60-64, Kelsey-Seybold recommends speaking with your doctor to see if you are at risk of serious illness and would benefit from receiving the RSV vaccine. The RSV vaccine is generally recommended for those 65+ and is covered by Medicare.

For children up to 2 years old, there is a new antibody treatment for RSV that will be available, particularly for newborns and infants in high-risk groups. It will offer a longer period of protection, and you'll only need one injection to protect children for about six months.

If mom received the RSV vaccination during her third trimester, an RSV vaccination for baby may not be needed, talk to your child’s Pediatrician to see if your child is eligible to receive the vaccine.

Recommendations and guidance for the current COVID-19 vaccine are:

Pfizer: For those who have been previously vaccinated with the required number of doses, and are 5 years and older, one does of the mRNA vaccine is needed. If you have never been vaccinated, the current guidelines are to receive three doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Moderna: For those who have been previously vaccinated with the required number of doses, and are 5 years and older, one does of the mRNA vaccine is needed. If you have never been vaccinated, CDC’s guidelines recommend two doses of the vaccine are needed.

Children ages 6 months–4 years receiving an initial vaccination, should receive either two doses of updated (2023¬–2024 Formula) Moderna or three doses of updated (2023–¬2024 Formula) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. If the child has received previous mRNA doses they would need 1 or 2 doses of updated (2023–¬2024 Formula) Moderna or updated (2023¬–¬2024 Formula) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, depending on the number of prior doses received.

A: Kelsey-Seybold Clinic provides flu tests; however, a provider may be able to make a diagnosis and prescribe an antiviral without testing based on symptoms. It is important to seek care early if you have fever with other cold/flu symptoms (cough, sore throat, upper respiratory congestion, etc.) to start an antiviral medication within 36 hours of the onset of symptoms since this has been shown to reduce illness severity and downtime.

If your child is two years old or under, they should be seen by a pediatrician, especially if they are running a fever. If your child is running a high fever, we recommend seeking care right away with a Kelsey-Seybold Pediatrician either in-person or virtually.

Over-the-counter flu tests are also becoming more widely available to test for flu at home. Over-the-counter flu tests are not covered by insurance at this time and would be an out-of-pocket expense. If your test is positive for flu, a follow up visit, preferably a Virtual Visit (Video or E-Visit), can be conducted through your MyKelseyOnline account.

The current CDC recommendations are to receive the new seasonal COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 boosters are not recommended to fight the current and emerging virus strains. Data from the new COVID-19 seasonal vaccine shows the new vaccine is effective against the new and emerging strains.

New COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna are approved and will be available for the fall/winter vaccination season. The updated vaccines are designed to target the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5. Initial trial data suggest the new vaccine will still protect against the newer strains like EG.5.

Like any virus, the strain will continue to mutate. New versions of the COVID-19 vaccine will be released each year, just like the flu vaccine. Going forward, you can think about the COVID-19 vaccine as a seasonal vaccine – like we have for the flu – with recommendations to get vaccinated early (September / October) before the seasonal flu and COVID season peaks.

For this year, if it has been more than two months since your COVID-19 vaccination, we recommend getting the FDA/CDC approved new COVID-19 vaccine to protect against COVID-19 through the winter months.