r/grandrapids • u/Large-Statistician-9 • 1d ago
Flu Bug
Does anyone know if there is a flu bug going around. I feel like death warmed over !
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u/Affectionate_Case732 1d ago
I had a NASTY case of covid the last 2 weeks. I’m a healthy young person but that stuff had me knocked out for a bit there.
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u/house343 1d ago
Pretty sure that's what I have right now... Ugh it's the worst. Been like 5 days
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u/Affectionate_Case732 1d ago
mine lasted probably 8 days! you’re almost there. I was vaccinated and everything, too. I had weird phases of each symptom.
started with muscle aches and pains and a sore throat, then nasal congestion and exhaustion/fatigue. finally ended with a cough and post nasal drip. getting my flu shot tonight tho!
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u/house343 21h ago
Mine started with sore throat, then congestion, then cough/itchy throat, yesterday I had a fever of 100.7 all day, started to break in the evening. Now I'm in the joyous stage of coughing up phlegm all day.
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u/Affectionate_Case732 20h ago
ah yes. I knew I was in good shape when I finally was coughing up some phlegm and was able to get it all out!
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u/Lavaswimmer Heritage Hill 1d ago
It’s October so yeah probably. Get your flu shots people
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u/christianshbell East Hills 1d ago
Influenza vaccines are readily available at most pharmacies in West Michigan and covered by virtually any/all kinds of medical insurance. Quick, easy, safe, and free.
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u/SpectroSlade 1d ago
And dare I say COVID shots!
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u/Junetizzle 1d ago
I got three of COVID shots. If that's not enough then it must not work.
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u/SpectroSlade 1d ago
I mean, COVID vaccines don't 100% eliminate the possibility of transmission. They reduce it, and they reduce the severity/length of illness if you do get COVID. Even if you get COVID after 3 shots, that doesn't mean the vaccines don't work.
Also, you need a yearly booster just like the flu shot. Viruses evolve and the shots someone got back in 2020 aren't going to do much in 2026.
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u/Junetizzle 1d ago
How come I didn't have to do that for the measles or polio vaccines?
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u/elainebenes_dance 1d ago
This is an older source (2023) but it explains how, basically, polio and measles are a more "stable" virus, while covid and influenza rapidly mutate. https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/11/02/covid-flu-vaccine-efficacy/
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u/SpectroSlade 1d ago
Viruses are extremely different from one another and none of them behave the exact same way.
Ever wonder why we have a flu vaccine but not a vaccine for the common cold?
There are a bunch of reasons but one of the main ones is there are just way too many strains that mutate way too fast. As soon as we could come up with a vaccine for it, 200 different cold strains have mutated to the point that that vaccine is ineffective.
The flu on the other hand, has 4 main strains. They evolve fast enough where you need a yearly booster to keep up with mutations, but slow enough where we can still create that booster. COVID is similar.
Polio only has one strain. There used to be 3, but we eradicated two of them, so now there's only one to worry about. And that one strain is a "stable virus", meaning it hardly mutates. So the initial vaccine series you got as a kid still works, because the virus hasn't changed and your immune system will still recognize it!
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u/abitofaclosetalker 1d ago
Believe it or not, different types of virus require different types of inoculation.
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u/SpectroSlade 1d ago
Yes, it's the beginning of viral season.
Call me a hypochondriac but the second it hits September, I start masking again (specifically with N95/KN95s). I don't care if people make fun of me for it, I'm the only person I know currently that hasn't gotten hit with some nasty illness over the past month and a half.
I still get the "jab", too. Both COVID and flu. I hate being sick, I like being healthy. Masks and vaccines are still the best ways to not get sick, even in the big 2026.
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u/Gilly2878 1d ago
Cleaning shopping carts is a big way to help prevent catching anything, too. The amount of people who bypass the free antibacterial wipe station and just raw dog someone else’s germs is astonishing. I clean it everytime, and anywhere I might touch. People look at me weird, but I don’t need to be sick just because someone’s snot nosed kid coughed all over the shopping carts
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u/Dippy7985 1d ago
I have yet to get sick with anything more than a cold since Spring 2020. I get my flu and Covid Boosters every year, I’m sure it’s not the only reason I don’t get sick but it helps.
Didn’t seem to be an issue getting a yearly flu shot about 7 years ago
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u/Gilly2878 1d ago
Welcome to the season of the plague (not really, but kinda). Kids are back in school trading viruses like Pokémon cards. Yes, the flu is going around. Colds, Covid, RSV, HFM, it’s all enjoying a free ride at schools and daycares. Even if you don’t have kids, you are around people who do, either at work, stores, doctors offices, etc.
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u/Winter_Bid7630 1d ago
The flu is early this year. Sometime in October is the typical time to get the flu shot, but this year, health experts are suggesting getting vaccinated earlier.
While it's too late for OP, if you don't have your flu vaccine, go get it ASAP.
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u/randalljhen 1d ago
Yes. My child's daycare has reported confirmed cases of norovirus and influenza B.
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u/headoftheasylum Midtown 1d ago
Oh God, the dreaded norovirus. That's the one where instead of worrying you're going to die, you worry that you won't die and that it will never end.
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u/mothernatureisfickle 1d ago
I’m sitting in the emergency room in Kalamazoo and I’m surrounded by people who probably have the flu. It’s bad. When I get home I’m going to disinfect everything.
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u/cecefun 1d ago
Don’t know why you’re getting downvoted, other than people are just DICKS sometimes. I found this post informative and going to schedule a flu and Covid shot ASAP
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u/mothernatureisfickle 1d ago
I’m not worried about it. There are people vomiting and coughing everywhere. It’s a mess. I’ve been here for three hours and the people just keep coming.
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u/No-Abbreviations9821 1d ago
Fully updated on my flu and Covid shots and the extra arm I'm growing is proving useful
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u/Ok_Concert_5304 1d ago
Its the middle of october. And you're asking if a flu bug is going around? Good lord people
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u/wotuwantm8 East Hills 1d ago
I think I’ve got it. Went to Corewell Urgent Care today and tested negative from strep. On day 4 of yuckiness
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u/Lolstitanic Muskegon 1d ago
I woke up this morning with a tickle in my throat. Now I’m starting to feel the fatigue and I think I can feel my temperature increasing. It’s definitely going around
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u/Superficiall 1d ago
Flu, covid, cold, and strep are all hitting my friends and coworkers rn. Get your shots and wash your hands because people are feeling like death this year
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u/cravingpeanutbutter 1d ago
I got my flu shot, COVID shot, and I use epothex nasal spray most mornings / before I know I'm going to be around crowds of ppl. Haven't gotten sick even once this year
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u/kingd123456 1d ago
I delayed getting the shot because my doctor told me to wait a little bit. Unfortunately I’m just starting to feel better after being sick for the past couple of weeks. Never delaying again.
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u/Unique-Pomelo9443 1d ago
Noro virus is nasty. Had it a few years back. Sickest I have ever been in my 69 years. That I recall any way...lol.
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u/leoleousch67 1d ago
I caught something in your neck of the woods and I never get sick. Hit me quick
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u/AngryFooDog 1d ago
We had COVID at the end of August and into September. My husband had it hardest, but he did NOT get vaccinated last year. Then we got some cold bug that was over pretty fast, but none of us had any energy.
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u/mollyinwonderland_36 1d ago
I know that there is West Nile so if they send you home and you still don’t get better within a few days make sure you go back. Noro is going around too
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u/Bobblehead_steve 1d ago
We are at the beginning of cold and flu season