Doctors: Flu vaccine can help during covid19 pandemic

Two international health organisations are urging people to get vaccinated for the influenza so their immune systems will not have to fight off both the flu and covid19 at the same time.

In a statement on Friday, the Pan American Health Organisation and the World Health Organization representative, Dr Erica Wheeler stated that during the previous flu season, from October 2019 to May 2020, 40 people died from the flu and its complications in TT, while thousands died in the US.

“It actually would make the situation of anyone having covid19 worse if they were to both have the flu as well as covid19. It weakens the lungs and it will make it easier for the virus, covid19, to affect your lungs more seriously. So, it is a protective factor to get the flu vaccine.”

Advisor for Disease Surveillance and Epidemiology at PAHO/WHO, Dr Eldonna Boisson, added, “At least if you have the influenza vaccine, you are unlikely to contract the influenza virus. And yet you’re still susceptible to covid19 but you won’t have to battle two at once, or one followed by the next. Because remember, each virus weakens your immunity somewhat, so if you get hit with two at the same time or one after the next, they are putting more pressure on your body.”

Boisson also urged people to get vaccinated as early as possible, at the beginning of the flu season, as it usually took about two weeks for the immune system to develop anti-bodies for the flu. This is especially important for members of vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and young children.

They reminded people that flu vaccines change every year to adapt to the changes in the virus. Therefore, even if people got the vaccine earlier this year, they needed renewed protection via the new vaccine.