Article

FluMist Quadrivalent Vaccine Ships for 2020-2021 Flu Season

Flu vaccination will be particularly important in the 2020-2021 season to lessen the burden on the health care system and ensure adequate resources amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

AstraZeneca has announced the first shipment of the FluMist Quadrivalent doses in the United States for the upcoming influenza season. It is the only nasal-spray flu vaccine, indicated for patients ages 2 through 49.

Flu vaccination will be particularly important in the 2020-2021 season to lessen the burden on the health care system and ensure adequate resources amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In response to this need, AstraZeneca has increased production of FluMist Quadrivalent doses in the United States by over 25% more than previously planned. According to a press release, the majority of these doses are expected to be available by the end of September.

FluMist Quadrivalent should not be administered to patients who have a severe allergy to eggs, those who have ever had a life-threatening reaction to an influenza vaccination, or those who are between 2 and 17 years of age and take aspirin or medicines containing aspirin. Children and adolescents should not be given aspirin for 4 weeks after getting the vaccine unless told otherwise by a health care provider.

The FluMist Quadrivalent vaccine has been recommended by both the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The nasal-spray administrative technique may be preferred by some patients and parents, according to a press release.

“Helping to prevent flu is essential, and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more important to do everything possible to reduce illnesses and preserve scarce health care resources,” AstraZeneca stated in a press release.

REFERENCE

AstraZeneca Ships FluMist Quadrivalent Vaccine in the US for 2020-2021 Flu Season [news release]. Business Wire; August 13, 2020. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200813005173/en/AstraZeneca-Ships-FLUMIST%C2%AE-QUADRIVALENT-Vaccine-2020-2021-Flu. Accessed August 17, 2020.

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