To urge you to get your flu jab…

I was hospitalised with influenza A and pneumonia, it was awful. I did have the flu jab previous, and consultant agreed that it helped.Was given Tamiflu, nebulisers, antibiotics felt like shit, and spent my birthday in hospital in isolation. I always advise my people to have the jab.

Paid for mine just before Christmas.

You can find info on the Boots and Superdrug websites, I’m HR for my company and I introduced the company buying it for staff who opt in. It’s. Its not very expensive though and worth it in the long run.

Only a PCR test could determine what strain of flu you and your Dad were infected with, it's entirely possible you're not even vaccinated against the strain you have!
The ambulance crew can give an opinion, they can't however give a categoric conclusion (nor should they attempt to).

I have only had flu once and it was horrendous. I literally couldn't stay awake. I ended up with a chest infection and four weeks off work. I hope you and your dad feel better soon.

Same here - I had an appointment booked for January and they’ve (Boots) just cancelled it.

No one, registered medic or otherwise, is qualified to say something as categoric as that.

I'm pro vaccine (in line with eligibility). The majority of people on MN won't have had a flu vaccine (because it's not deemed necessary for most age groups).

I don't like scare mongering, and the purpose of this thread appears to be just that. By all means share eligibility criteria, however asserting that the vaccine is the only way to avoid being unimaginably unwell is simply not true. It's alarmist and unnecessary.

The only possible chance you've got of getting a flu jab at this point in the season is via your GP, but that's not terribly likely.

I was talking to my friend just before Christmas who is a pharmacist for Boots. Because flu was in the news quite a bit in the lead up to Christmas, they had loads of people coming into store, asking about the jab. They've got none left, and haven't had any in for ages.

The time to get the vaccine is between early September and mid November. After that, you've missed the boat really.

I paid £24 for a private jab 3 weeks ago. Money well spent. DH has flu. I’m fine

They’re myths. Like turbo cancer

But your dad had it and still ended up going to hospital in an ambulance?

my Understanding is we follow Australia who have their season before us and we go for vaccine strain based on that but this strain evolved and therefore we have a bad flu year.

DH is pretty ill right now. I’m hoping that I don’t get it as we’re going away next week 🤞 He’s in bed feeling very sorry for himself drinking lemsip. I’m using first defence spray and continuing to take my vitamins (C, D and magnesium) Hopefully I’ll be OK. I’m also staying away from him and increasing the handwashing routine.

Not RTFT but just chiming in to say I wish I'd paid for a flu jab this year. It absolutely clattered me and I was off work for a full week. Thankfully my toddler's symptoms were mild (though he's so full to the brim with nursery bugs I don't think it could fit in) but it was miserable.

I think until unless you've ever actually had symptomatic real proper flu, it can be easily under estimated.
My friends Dad died aged 40 from flu. As far as I know he was a healthy 40yo. (We were young at the time).
Ive had flu several times in my 50 odd years and it truely does knock you. It usually comes on quick. Its never a bad cold that turns to flu.

Having had Covid 3 times, I'd choose COVID any time over flu.

There also seems to be some people carry flu. Can test pos and carry on as usual.
I try to get the jab but getting it privately isn't as easy as it used to be. I eventually managed to get a private jab beginning of Dec, alot later than usual.

Exact same as @HashtagShitShop had the vaccine and also all the symptoms you described OP and weeks of illness.

I mean the mRNA doesn’t stay in your system, mRNA is apparently quite fragile and is cleared from the body quickly, in days to weeks. Yes you’re right, the vaccine primes your immune system to recognise and fight the virus if needed - so the immune response is much longer lasting but the actual vaccine doesn’t remain in the body .

How do you know that?

There is no parallel universe in which you never had the jab.

Even the authorities say its around 30% to 40% effective in not attending or being admitted to hospital.... so 60% to 70% that you'll end up there regardless.

I'm just repeating the language that was used - you seem to be taking this personally, so I apologise if I've offended. I didn't mean it in a negative way.

Gamble or mistake - or any other word - the flu jab doesn't always save you from the flu. You can get the jab and still get poorly.

I still get mine every year. The flu is awful, and the jab is a minor inconvenience. It's more than worth getting the jab, and I always encourage others to get it. I'm very grateful to the clever people who make it all possible.

Being vaccinated definitely improves the quality of my life.

I've had the jab and have lost 3 weeks of December and still not fully 100 percent now. Dread to think what it would be like if I hadn't had the flu jab in Oct.

I have, and as I said it's entirely ambiguous in relation to the flu vaccine.
Suggestions that it both successfully induces same and that it very rarely induces same (and indeed possibly blunts/hampers same).