You already have your flu shot? In WA, you may need another

So, did you get your flu shot yet? I know there's a little controversy surrounding vaccinations, but I have found that getting a flu shot makes me a little more secure in the knowledge that I'm not going to get sick with the flu over the winter season. Having the flu is a miserable experience that I don't really want to live through again any time soon. 

So here is what's going on. 

A few months ago, we thought we had what was going to be the current flu vaccine for the 2025-2026 flu season. Then a couple of weeks ago we Are being told we have to rethink everything. 

According to axios.com,
‘Experts worldwide are warning of a new flu outbreak ahead of winter.
The new flu strain, a version of H3N2, emerged over the summer, raising fears that the current flu vaccine might struggle to fight it. Health officials in Canada and the U.K. have already warned of an H3N2 wave that's sending people to the hospital. Experts are worried that the new version of H3N2 doesn't match the strain used to create this year's flu vaccine, though such mismatches are common with seasonal flu strains.’ 

The current vaccine, (the one I took) is based on flu samples from 2024-25. The new flu variant coming through the Northern hemisphere had seven additional mutations over the summer and since it's popped up, it's been moving through Canada and the United Kingdom. They're predicting that it's going to be one of the worst years for the flu that they've seen in a while, almost triple the cases from last year. 

If you're like me and you're saying, “I've got things covered, I got my vaccination 4 weeks ago”, then you need to understand that maybe you don't have things covered and you're going to have to get another flu vaccination if and when it becomes available. 

By the way, yesterday I was on the phone with a nurse at Confluence Health and they were saying that they had not heard anything about this and neither had my pharmacist so now I guess we will wait and see what happens.
New H3N2 flu strain is surging. Here's what to know on symptoms, vaccines