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Facing the winter flu season during a pandemic is a scary prospect. The severity of influenza viruses circulating each year is already difficult to predict, but with lower levels of winter influenza in the southern hemisphere earlier this year, there is less data on influenza viruses themselves and the effectiveness of the vaccine being developed. towards the end of the previous flu season.
And that’s even before factoring in the confusion of Covid-19 and flu symptoms and the risks of contracting both at the same time, not to mention the risks of transmitting Covid to vulnerable people by those who think they only have flu and not coronavirus.
“There hasn’t been much flu virus in the southern hemisphere this year because the flu season occurred at the same time as the Covid-19 shutdowns, and interventions that block Covid also block the flu virus,” he explains. Dr. Kim Roberts, assistant professor of virology at Trinity College Dublin.
And while, on one level, that could lead to optimism that countries in Europe will have less flu this winter, Dr. Roberts cautions that we are not at the same tight spot here as places like Australia and New Zealand during the winter flu. . season. “The flu season puts great pressure on health services in a normal year and the potential for Sars-Cov-2 [the scientific name for the novel coronavirus which causes Covid-19] broadcasting will also see the transmission of the flu, ”explains Dr. Roberts.
Comparison chart of coronavirus, flu and cold. Source:
2.hse.ie/conditions.
Approximately 4,300 people were hospitalized for influenza in Ireland in the 2019-2020 influenza season, according to figures presented at the Oireachtas Covid-19 Special Committee. And between 200 and 500 people die each winter from complications from the flu. With fewer beds in the hospital system due to social distancing restrictions and fears of a second wave of Covid-19, the potential impact on hospital services is not worth thinking about.
Symptoms
There is also widespread concern that it will be difficult to distinguish between flu and Covid-19 symptoms, leading some people to assume they have the flu rather than Covid or vice versa. Fever or chills, dry cough, aches and pains, and fatigue are common symptoms of both the flu and Covid-19. However, shortness of breath and loss or change in the sense of taste and smell are more specific to the new coronavirus that causes Covid-19. Headaches are most commonly associated with the flu, while a sore throat is sometimes associated with Covid-19.
“It will be difficult for GPs to distinguish flu from Covid-19, so the best way to protect ourselves and reduce the additional pressure on hospitals this year more than ever is to get a flu shot,” says Dr. Roberts. , which promotes vaccination against influenza. on behalf of a leading chain of pharmacies. She advises people to get their flu vaccine early, as it usually takes about two weeks to take effect. Currently, pharmacies accept online reservations for those who wish to receive the vaccine at pharmacies rather than at GP clinics. The flu vaccine is free for people 65 and older, people with long-term health problems, and children.
Dr Cillian de Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory at University College Dublin and chair of the expert advisory group of the National Public Health Emergencies Team (Nphet), says that people who have had flu in the past they should recognize it. “The influenza virus causes the sudden onset of debilitating symptoms including muscle aches and pains, lethargy, fatigue and night sweats, while the onset of Covid-19 appears to be less dramatic with fever, cough and shortness of breath; [the latter] it is not a common flu symptom, “he explains.
What happens if people get Covid and the flu at the same time? Dr. Lucy Jessop, director of public health for the National Office for Immunization, says that early studies conducted in China during the end of the 2019/2020 flu season found that complications and worse outcomes are more likely in people. who have Covid-19 and the flu virus at the same time.
Dr. de Gascun says that in some situations, people will need to be tested for both influenza and Covid-19, but that population testing for influenza will not be necessary. “Those with underlying conditions that can be treated with influenza antiviral medications should be screened for both, and if there is an outbreak of respiratory illness, people may need to be tested for Covid-19 and influenza,” it says. . However, the number of tests for the influenza virus in a normal winter is between 15,000 and 20,000 tests, which compares with 60,000 tests for Covid-19 in a week at the end of August.
Young children and older adults, as well as those in other vulnerable groups, are at increased risk for complications from the flu, according to Dr. Jessop.
October 1 is the designated start of the winter flu season. The Health Service Executive has requested around 1.4 million doses of injectable flu vaccines due to arrive in Ireland by the end of September. These will be distributed to pharmacies and GPs throughout the flu season.
Who should receive it?
Flu vaccination is recommended for all people over the age of 65, those with long-term medical conditions such as diabetes, heart, kidney, liver, lung, or neurological disease, and those whose immune systems are impaired due to treatment or a disease. A flu shot is also recommended for pregnant women, nursing home residents, healthcare workers, caregivers, and those with a body mass index greater than 40.
The HSE also ordered another 600,000 nasal spray vaccines for the first time this year, to be administered to children ages two to 12. These sprays contain a live, weakened flu vaccine that provides a better immune response in children. The injectable vaccine given to adults has a viral protein instead of a live virus that the adult’s immune system responds to to protect a person who contracts one of the currently circulating flu viruses. Vulnerable children ages six months to two years and vulnerable teens will receive the injectable vaccine instead of the nasal spray flu vaccine.
Measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 – etiquette when coughing, hand hygiene, wearing face covers, and social distancing – could also reduce the incidence of flu here this winter. “Hand hygiene is essential for the prevention of influenza and [sneeze or cough into a tissue], throw it away, kill it, ”the motto along with“ wash your hands ”has always been promoted for flu prevention,” explains Dr. Jessop.
Dr. de Gascun adds: “The public health measures introduced for Covid-19 will have an impact on all respiratory viruses. So if people continue with these public health measures and if there is a greater acceptance of the flu vaccine this year, I would be a little optimistic about the winter season. “
The fact that children are known to be vectors of the flu, but not Covid-19, is one of the reasons that the HSE has introduced the flu vaccine for children between the ages of two and 12 for the first time. this season. Childhood influenza vaccination was already under review by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, but the pandemic possibly advanced its introduction here.
“Children are very good at spreading the flu virus, and the World Health Organization has been recommending the flu vaccine for children for years. The winter flu vaccination program for children started in the UK in 2013, ”explains Dr Jessop.
She says vaccinating children against the flu virus not only protects children themselves, but also protects families and vulnerable people like grandparents. “Vaccinating children against influenza is good for preventing the spread of the influenza virus in the population,” says Dr. Jessop.
Read: Dr. Muiris Houston: Do I have the flu or Covid-19?
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