So far, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. has already inoculated 6,612 people in the CNMI with the influenza vaccine, with a goal to vaccinate 20,000 people in the CNMI by January 2021.<\/p>\n
According to Vaccinate CNMI\u2019s official website, 1,299 children and 5,313 children have been vaccinated in the CNMI as of Dec. 4.<\/p>\n
CHCC chief executive officer Esther Mu\u00f1a stated in previous interviews that the quantitative data on influenza data in the CNMI this year will aid in CHCC\u2019s efforts to predict how many of the local population will avail to the COVID-19 vaccine.
\nThe CNMI has an estimated population of 50,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis season it\u2019s more important than ever to get a flu shot. Getting a flu shot protects you, your loved ones, and our community from the flu. If you\u2019ve never gotten a flu shot before, this is the year to start,\u201d said CHCC in a statement.<\/p>\n
Influenza, or the flu, is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalizations and sometimes death. According to CHCC, getting the flu vaccine every year is the best way to help protect against the flu; however, every flu season is different and influenza infection can affect people differently.<\/p>\n
How the vaccine works is that it contains pieces of \u201ckilled or weakened virus particles.\u201d It is not likely that you will get the flu from the vaccine, but encountering the flu-like symptoms, such as fever and sore arms, after getting the flu shot is a sign that your body is correctly responding to the vaccine.<\/p>\n
There are two ways to get the vaccine: the flu shot, and for those who aren\u2019t a fan of needles, there is also a nasal spray vaccine. <\/p>\n
The viruses in a flu shot are killed, or inactivated, so you cannot get flu from a flu shot. The viruses in the nasal spray vaccine are weakened and don\u2019t cause severe symptoms that often comes with influenza illness.<\/p>\n
CHCC stated that it takes approximately two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection, which is why it\u2019s best to get vaccinated before influenza viruses spread.
\nThe flu vaccine is needed every season for two reasons: first, a person\u2019s immune protection from vaccination declines over time, so an annual vaccine is needed for optimal protection. Second, the flu virus is constantly changing.<\/p>\n
According to CHCC, the flu vaccines may be updated from one season to the next to protect against viruses that research suggests may be most common during the upcoming flu season. It is best that everyone six months and older should get vaccinated annually.<\/p>\n
The CNMI is expected to receive the COVID-19 vaccine late this year or early next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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