| Photo by Steven Cornfield on Unsplash
NEW YORK — The Philippine Daily Mirror, in cooperation with the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA), has adopted “Ask NAPCA” as a monthly feature to inform Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) elder communities of available programs and services they may need wherever they live in the US.
This month, NAPCA selected some questions about the flu and COVID-19.
<Q1> Are flu and COVID-19 still seriously threatening public health?
Both flu and COVID-19 remain significant health threats, causing thousands of hospitalizations and deaths annually. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), from October 1, 2023, through June 1, 2024, there were estimated to have been at least 35 million flu illnesses, 390,000 hospitalizations, and 24,000 deaths. In that same period, approximately 44,000 deaths were attributed to COVID-19 in the US.
<Q2> Why do flu and COVID-19 vaccines need to be updated more frequently than other vaccines?
Flu and COVID-19 viruses change through a process called mutation. These mutations help the viruses avoid our natural immune responses and the protection vaccines provide. By mutating, flu and COVID-19 viruses can move more easily from person to person and reproduce faster, ensuring their survival.
Flu and COVID-19 viruses mutate frequently, and the vaccines have been updated accordingly. The CDC recommends that all Americans six months and older get an updated flu and COVID-19 vaccine in the fall, regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated against the virus in the past.
<Q3> Why are older adults at higher risk for flu or COVID-19?
As people age, their immune systems weaken, making fighting off infections and diseases harder for their bodies. Many older adults have chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or respiratory issues that can exacerbate the effects of flu or COVID-19. Therefore, they are more likely to experience severe complications from the flu or COVID-19, and recovery from illnesses can be slower and more complicated in older adults due to the body’s reduced ability to repair and heal itself.
Many infectious disease experts stress the importance of vaccination for people who are over 65 or who have underlying health conditions. People close to them should also be vaccinated to protect their loved ones. We should make the annual flu shots and COVID shots part of our health maintenance.
If you have questions about public benefits, here are three ways you can reach us today:
Call: (English) 1-800-336-2722, (Chinese Mandarin) 1-800-683-7427, (Chinese Cantonese) 1-800-582-4218,
(Korean) 1-800-582-4259, (Vietnamese) 1-800-582-4336
Email: askNAPCA@napca.org
Mail: NAPCA Senior Assistance Center, 1511 3rd Avenue, Suite 914, Seattle, WA 98101
National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) is collaborating with the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) and the Champions for Vaccine Education, Equity, and Progress (CVEEP) on a vaccine outreach initiative.
–With Jay Domingo/PDM
