HARTFORD, Conn — The seasonal flu is nowhere near as deadly as Covid-19, but it can be deadly nonetheless. However, that is far less likely if you get the yearly flu shot – even if the shot doesn’t stop you from getting the flu.
This autumn and winter, that distinction might be especially important, because we’ll be battling the flu and coronavirus at the same time for the first time. During Covid-19’s first wave, our state’s Emergency Department capacities were just about filled. There is concern that a potential strong second wave would combine with the flu to overwhelm that capacity in the coming months.
“It’s always important to get the flu shot, but even this year especially as we’re still dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, to really get folks to go out and get their flu shot,” said Dr. Jessica Abrantes-Figueiredo, an infectious disease specialist for Trinity Health of New England.
Pharmacies and doctors’ offices started offering flu shots weeks, if not months ago, because any time is better than no time to get one. However, there is still an optimal time, and Dr. Abrantes-Figueiredo said now is it.
“So, typically we usually say around October, because if you get it just earlier than that, potentially, your immunity may wane before the flu season is over, and that’s the other thing, the flu season can run well into march,” she said.
There may be a lot of things we can learn about the flu shot that could also apply to the Covid-19 vaccine, once it becomes available. For example, flu shots are not an all-or-nothing proposition…
“Just because you get the flu shot it doesn’t mean it’s 100 percent preventative of the flu, but typically, in patients who do get the flu vaccine, if you do go on to develop flu, they’re much more milder symptoms, patients don’t necessarily need to be hospitalized,” said Dr. Abrantes-Figueiredo.
The same could wind up being true for a coronavirus vaccine. Even if it can’t prevent you from getting Covid-19, it could be the case that the vaccine knocks the severity of the illness down to something more resembling the flu - something that may not require hospitalization.
It’s also possible that the Covid-19 vaccine may need to be administered annually. The world will get a better sense of that once Phase 3 trials for the vaccine candidates are completed.