I'm a Doctor And Everyone Over 60 Should Do These Things Now
The ultimate fall checklist: are you prepared?
It's a fact of life: Our immune systems weaken with age, and people over 60 need to take special care to protect their health, particularly in the face of flu and respiratory virus season, which now includes COVID-19. If you're over 60, what should be on your essential checklist this fall? Family physician Dr. Zorba Paster recently shared his with WISC in Madison, Wisconsin.
Paster said he got the flu, COVID and RSV vaccines at the same time and experienced some arm pain and felt feverish that night. "I thought, well that means my immune system is really popping up. And that's really what you want it to be. You want your immune system to really pop up. You are better off getting multiple vaccines than just getting one at a time," because it helps your immunity ramp up.
Vaccinating against other common illness like the flu and pneumonia can prevent you from contracting them, and potentially making yourself vulnerable to a co-occurring infection with COVID. "If you look at the two pneumonia vaccines, they don't prevent all causes of pneumonia, but they prevent many common causes of pneumonia over the age of 65," he said.
"RSV kills 15,000 adults a year," says Paster. "About 15,000 adults who get RSV and then get a bacterial pneumonia die from it. So it's very serious. Everybody over the age of 60 should get the RSV vaccine. It's a one shot and you're done."
The previous Merck vaccine for shingles was only 60% effective, said Paster. "There's now the GSK vaccine, it's a two-part vaccine, 98% chance you won't get shingles. That's important." Talk to Your Doctor About What Vaccines Are Right for You
Your healthcare provider may also recommend a shot against whooping cough, and a tetanus booster is usually given once every 10 years. The RSV vaccine and pneumonia vaccine are one-time. The flu shot is yearly, as COVID will likely be.
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"Vaccines save lives because they make your natural body produce an immunity," said Paster. "Think about it, it's as natural as you can be to get your body to fight it off, versus an antibiotic or an antiviral."
