Chasing Life

While much of the talk surrounding vaccines has been focused on Covid-19, your flu shot will be just as important this year.

 

"I think many of us are concerned about the fact we didn't see much flu last year. Are we going to see convergence of a pandemic plus flu season at the same time, when we're already seeing a crunch in our health care facilities?" Dr. Robert Hopkins, chief of general internal medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and chair of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, told CNN.

 

The American College of Emergency Physicians issued a statement last week noting there are "early signs" the coming flu season could be severe, and recommending everyone eligible get vaccinated against Covid-19 and flu.

 

A model based on previous flu seasons projects there could be 102,000 additional hospitalizations this upcoming season due to flu illnesses, which corresponds to a 20% increase compared with the average number of hospitalizations in past flu seasons.

 

"It's another reason why flu and COVID-19 vaccinations are so important. Although instances have been rare, you can contract COVID-19 and the flu simultaneously, which could result in a much worse condition. On the health care side, having both viruses circulating makes diagnosis difficult. If you contract the flu, you will have to quarantine and be tested to rule out COVID-19," Dr. David Cennimo, an infectious disease specialist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said in a statement.

 

He added: "This highlights the importance of children under 12, who cannot yet receive the COVID-19 vaccine, receiving the flu vaccine. Vaccinated children are less at risk for the flu, whose symptoms can be confused with COVID-19 and cause possibly unnecessary school quarantines while awaiting a proper diagnosis."

 

Pediatricians are recommending that kids and adults get their flu shots by Halloween.

 

To maximize the number of people getting vaccinated, clinics offering both flu shots and Covid-19 vaccines are popping up. Both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics say people can receive their flu shots simultaneously with a Covid-19 vaccine.

 

“What you should do is get it as soon as you can and in the most expeditious manner,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “If that means going in and getting the flu shot in one arm, the Covid shot in the other, that's perfectly fine.”

 

So if you haven’t gotten them yet, get your shots as soon as you can. You can protect yourself and those you love as well as our health care system at the same time.