Rick Gates, Walgreens' chief pharmacy officer, is debunking the greatest misconceptions around flu shots and how to stay healthy over the holidays.
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00:00Absolutely, people should get vaccinated and I think it's really important to understand
00:08that just because you don't have high incidence right now doesn't mean that flu is not going
00:12to ramp up as people start to travel and get on airplanes and all those types of things.
00:17I think what's important to understand is that when you get vaccinated, it takes about
00:20two weeks to get fully protected from the flu or the COVID virus or pneumonia or RSV.
00:27So the earlier that you can get vaccinated, the more important it is, and then that's
00:31going to carry protection for you throughout the holidays to protect yourself and your
00:35loved ones.
00:38So I know it's easy to think that the flu is just like a cold.
00:41In reality, the flu can cause serious disease, upper respiratory tract infections, and ultimately
00:46some people have died or do die from the flu.
00:49And so it's important that you protect yourself.
00:51And when you get a flu vaccine, I think what's important about that is it actually protects
00:55you from getting even more serious complications that could come if you do get the infection
00:59somewhere down the line.
01:00So I think that I think it's a bit of a falsity to think that it's just a common cold and
01:05it does protect you from more serious conditions.
01:09I think it's important to remember that you can get multiple vaccinations at Walgreens
01:14and it's going to be not just flu, but the COVID, which is not just a booster now, it's
01:18actually a new COVID kind of formulation.
01:20So they brought in the newer viruses that are available the last year and really protects
01:25you for the viruses circulating this year.
01:28You have RSV as well as pneumonia shots.
01:30So anything that could be upper respiratory tract infections that could really impact
01:35you in this fall season, you can get at Walgreens.
01:38And I'll tell you, my own personal journey, I got three vaccines at one time.
01:42You can get multiple vaccines on any visit when you go into the pharmacy.
01:46I think what's most important is you talk to your pharmacist.
01:50What generally happens is when you get vaccinated by either flu or COVID, it takes about two
01:55weeks for the antibodies in your body to really ramp up to give you the maximum protection
02:01that you're going to have.
02:02Remember, these are actually what are considered kind of dead viruses that they're putting
02:06into your system and your body has to create antibodies against that.
02:11So I think sometimes people ask, will I get sick from getting a flu shot or a COVID shot?
02:15You won't because these are not live viruses.
02:17They are just there to really allow your body to create antibodies and then get up
02:21to maximum protection in case you do get infected or get around an infection.
02:28I think it's important to go ask questions, get tested so you can see if you do have either
02:32flu or COVID.
02:34And if you do have flu or COVID, the beautiful thing is you can actually get treated for
02:37it as well.
02:38There are some states where pharmacists can actually prescribe Paxilovid or Tamiflu so
02:42that you can actually be treated for it as well.
02:45And sometimes if you need to, we can actually deliver the test straight to your home if
02:49that's what you need.
02:50So the beauty is with flu and COVID, I think there's lots of opportunities to understand
02:54how do you differentiate between the two and then how do you treat yourself or get yourself
02:58treated if you do have them.
03:00If you do catch COVID or flu, we can absolutely help.
03:04I think at that point in time, it's symptomatic relief and I think that's where some of the
03:08solutions we have like at-home delivery, you can order on your app and we can deliver back
03:13to home.
03:15I think when you do get sick, it's just really treating the symptoms that you do have.
03:19And I think that's what we're here for.
03:20We can also have pharmacists give you advice for how long you may be sick, how long to
03:24maybe keep yourself away from your family members and loved ones so that when you do
03:29get healthy, you can kind of get back out into your world and kind of re-engage the
03:32way that you normally want to.
03:35You know, whenever I think of vaccinations, I think it's all about protecting not only
03:39yourself, but your loved ones and your families and friends.
03:41So I think as you look at the holiday season that's coming up, I think it's really important
03:45to go to your pharmacy and pharmacist, ask questions if you have them.
03:49Vaccines are very safe and effective ways to really protect yourself, but you have to
03:53give yourself time in advance of the holidays to make sure that you get maximum protection
03:57for yourself and your loved ones.
03:59I think sometimes people get vaccinated more for their loved ones than they do themselves,
04:03but I think it's a really important way to think about the holiday season because you're
04:06going to be traveling on planes with people you don't know.
04:08You're going to be sometimes in environments where you don't want somebody who may be compromised
04:13or more sick to actually get sick based off of you having something that you're bringing
04:17to them.
04:18So I think that's just something we all need to think about heading into the holidays.