The COVID-19 pandemic is consuming the world’s attention but it is important that people stay up-to-date with your vaccines and immunizations.

So says Allison Kaplan, physician assistant, Phoenix Area Medical Manager, FastMed Urgent Care. She works at FastMed’s location at 5201 N. 19th Ave. She said vaccines and immunizations are shots approved by the FDA prepared with dead or weakened microorganisms that help stimulate someone’s immune system and prepare their body to fight off infections. Kaplan said it is important to keep up with vaccines and immunizations because they help familiarize the body with a specific germ that lets the body produce the appropriate antibodies to fight off foreign invaders. That way the body responds faster and more effectively to fight current and future infections.

Vaccines’ schedules vary according to age. Kaplan recommends talking to your healthcare provider about which ones are appropriate and which ones will prevent you from contracting certain diseases. She said the influenza shot is the most common and it should be acquired every year. One vaccine that is needed throughout adulthood and that might need to be repeated at intervals is a tetanus shot or Tdap. Young children and infants should follow a more regimented immunization schedule. You also can find these schedules on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website at cdc.gov.

Vaccines take time to build the proper antibodies so if you skip them or delay the doses it can cause increased risk of contracting an illness.