Photo: LM Otero, Associated Press
Take stock photo of a syringe with flu vaccine.
When the COVID-19 pandemic picked up speed again in the Bay Area in February and early March, it was the tail end of the flu season. The common viral infection that occurs every fall and winter had mostly run its course and the possibility of the coronavirus cooperating with flu to overwhelm hospitals was fortunately not a major threat.
But as children return to school and August begins to decline, medical experts are still unsure how the upcoming flu season could affect the current medical crisis. One thing they agree on is that one of the best defenses is to make sure you catch the flu this year.
“Not getting a flu vaccine is like not wearing a mask,” said Dr. Randy Bergen, clinical lead for Kaiser Permanente Northern California flu vaccine program. “If you go to your groceries without a mask because you know it protects other people, you need to catch a flu too.”
The CDC estimates that impact has resulted in between 140,000 to 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 to 61,000 deaths annually since 2010. Since the disease could increase the already burdened hospital system in the U.S., Bergen said, even if you have shelter in place, it is very important to get out this year and get a flu vaccine.
“In terms of the impact on our overall health care system, it’s so important that we protect as many people this year as we can against flu,” he said.
While both COVID-19 and flu on their own can be dangerous, Bergen said there has not been much research into what it looks like when the body contracts flu and COVID-19 at the same time. Most concerning is that some evidence suggests that if your immune system is weak from recovering from one of the diseases, you may be more susceptible to the other. This can lead to heart attack as well as secondary pneumonia as well as other complications.
“What we do know is these are viruses that affect multiple organs,” Bergen said. “The effects of impact and COVID-19 seem to be multifactorial, especially for those who have underlying conditions and recovery can be very long. With this information, it may not be easy to get such infections at the same time, but I would worry that the ones they get in sequence will not be good for them. “
Because of lags and other issues with COVID-19 testing at the moment, Bergen could not say whether people should test for COVID if they are fairly sure they have the flu. “Unfortunately, it’s about what kind of test capacity we would have to tell people what to do if they think they may have the flu, but can also be COVID,” he said. “In a perfect world, if they have mild symptoms that they would not normally seek medical attention, then it would be ideal for them to find out if they have COVID or not. But it may not be a practical option. ”
Bergen said it is always a good option to see your doctor if you are unsure of what to do or if you are worried about your symptoms.
The vaccine would be widely available by mid-September, but Bergen said it’s important to remember that the same ways you prevent the flu are the same ways you can prevent COVID-19. Wash your hands often and try to cover your mouth, nose and eyes as much as possible. With the start of school, he said it is especially key.
“The most important single difference I see between COVID and the flu is children,” Bergen said. “In a year, the flu season will start in the schools. The children spread it among themselves and take it home. This is a pattern every year. There is still a lot of uncertainty in the role of children in the spread of COVID. There is no controversy in children spreading flu. ”
If there is one silver lining from the pandemic, it could be that this year’s flu season could be much less devastating than last year’s. Early signs from the southern hemisphere were encouraging as they approached the end of their winter. Because of COVID-19 preventative measures such as mask wear and social distance, countries such as Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand have seen a May and unexpected drop in flu and other seasonal respiratory viral infections in May and June, according to the Wall Street Journal .
Australia had just 85 confirmed cases of impact in the last two weeks of June, compared to 22,047 in the same two weeks in 2019. The country had a total of 132,424 cases last year, while this year saw only 20,739 cases from January to and with June, the newspaper reported.
Australian authorities are urging people to get vaccinations as soon as possible by the end of March and pharmacists report that they have more vaccines administered in three weeks than they have done in the whole past. The country also closed its borders in March and banned non-essential meetings.
Argentina saw similar decline. Impacts fell from January 15 to early July to 151,189, compared to an average of 420,737 in that period in the past five years, the WSJ said.
“More than ever, it’s in your best interest and the best interest of your friends and family to get a flu vaccine,” Bergen said. “You may be worried about leaving your home to do everything but make an effort to get a flu vaccine this year.”
Tessa McLean is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @mcleantessa.
