County Launches Weekly Vaccine Dashboard, Urges 3 Fall Shots

Q: Why are medical experts urgently warning pregnant individuals to avoid one specific type of flu vaccine this fall?

Pregnant people are being told to avoid the nasal spray flu vaccine because it is a live attenuated vaccine made with weakened influenza viruses, and medical groups do not recommend live flu vaccines during pregnancy. Experts instead advise getting the flu shot, which uses an inactivated or recombinant vaccine. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, CDC guidance reflected in the public health materials, and other medical groups say those versions are safe in any trimester and are the preferred options for pregnant patients. The warning is urgent because pregnancy itself raises the risk of severe flu illness. Changes in the immune system, lungs, and heart during pregnancy make flu more likely to lead to complications such as hospitalization, pneumonia, and in some cases preterm birth or other poor outcomes. Vaccination also helps protect newborns, who are too young to get their own flu shot, by passing antibodies during pregnancy. That is why county health officials and national experts are emphasizing vaccination this fall while also drawing a clear distinction between vaccine types: pregnant people should get a flu shot, not FluMist or any other nasal spray flu vaccine. Healthy nonpregnant people ages 2 to 49 may be eligible for the nasal spray, but pregnancy is a specific reason to avoid it.

3 articles · Updated · countynewscenter.com · Sep 11

A new county dashboard now tracks weekly vaccination rates for flu, COVID-19 and RSV as fall shots arrive at clinics and pharmacies across the region.
County health officials said the push aims to curb severe illness, hospitalizations, deaths, community spread and pressure on healthcare systems during the respiratory-virus season.
Infants, young children, older adults, pregnant people, group-setting residents, close contacts of vulnerable people and healthcare workers were identified as priority groups for vaccination.
MyTurn.ca.gov, healthcare providers and public health centers for uninsured or underinsured residents are being promoted as access points, with the county citing current science on vaccine safety and efficacy.