Epidemiologist explains why getting a flu shot in December matters

Lyubov Semyeykina, a specialist at the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in Primorsky Krai, said that vaccination in December still makes sense: the peak of incidence often falls in late December and January, and the seasonal rise can last until spring. Earlier, Vladimir Putin spoke about his own flu shot.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 9 November 2026 at 03:441 min read

Epidemiologist explains why getting a flu shot in December matters

The key facts

Epidemiologist Lyubov Semyeykina: a December shot protects for the remaining active part of the season
The peak of incidence often falls in late December — early January
Putin said he was vaccinated with a domestic vaccine two weeks earlier

Getting vaccinated in December still makes sense

Getting a flu shot in December still makes sense, RIA Novosti was told by Lyubov Semyeykina, head of the epidemiology department at the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in Primorsky Krai. Her argument: an epidemic rarely starts exactly on December 1 and follows a set schedule — the peak of incidence often falls in late December and early January.

What the doctor said

“Vaccination in December will provide protection for the remaining, most active part of the season”, the epidemiologist explained. According to her, the seasonal rise in flu incidence can last until spring, so protection gained in December covers the most active period of the season.

Context

On November 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with government membersthat two weeks earlier he had received a flu shot with a domestic vaccine. According to him, “nothing bad happened,” and the vaccine works fine. Gazeta.Ru also previously reported that the president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov explained why he had not been vaccinated against the flu.