How effective is the flu shot this year? New report shows promising results

[lostincalifornia]

Early evidence shows that this season’s vaccine can indeed protect against the H3N2 subclade K strain that’s spreading nationwide. The strain emerged last summer, too late for it to be included in the 2025-26 vaccine.

“This is unexpected good news,” said Scott Hensley, professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania. “Although it’s not a complete match with what’s circulating, this vaccine appears to have the capacity to produce antibodies that will likely provide protection,” he said.

The Penn Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response takes an early look every year at how well the seasonal flu shot prompts an antibody response in the immune system. That is, how likely the shot is to offer measurable protection for most people.

This year's findings were released Tuesday night on the preprint server medRxiv, a site that publishes research before it’s gone through an extensive and rigorous peer-review process.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/flu-vaccine-2026-effective-symptoms-new-research-rcna252659

[PJMcK]

1. Not our experience

We got the flu shots in early November and just before Christmas we both got what we were told was the “K” variant.

Five days of symptoms that diminished as we took the prescribed medications.

A disappointing experience that hasn’t happened before. Still, we’ll always get our vaccinations.

[LuckyCharms]

3. Similar experience in 2018, PJ.

I continue to get the flu shot every year. I have all of my life.

In 2018, if I remember correctly, the vaccine didn't match the flu variant (or something like that), and I got the flu...sickest I've ever been. It rocked me for about 2 weeks, ended up in the ER.

I have not received this year's vax yet because I'm fighting a flare of an autoinflammatory disorder that is knocking me on my ass, but as soon as this flare calms a bit, I'll be getting the vax, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

I'm abating this by staying home as much as possible, but if I do go out, I'm back to wearing an N95.

[dutch777]

2. First report like this I have seen. Last stats I saw was vaccine was only 20 to 25% effective against variants seen and

pretty useless against this worst strain. Always the problem to some degree as they have to start production based on best guess to get shots ready on time.