A ‘twindemic’? Here’s why doctors want you to get a flu shot during COVID-19 pandemic
Doctors and public health officials have worried about this for months, and the time is at hand: Pandemic, meet the flu season.
It’s like two trains barreling toward each other on the same track and it’s anybody’s guess how many passengers will be onboard and need medical help, or die, when they collide.
Worried about the toll on a health care system already stressed by COVID-19, health officials are doubling-down on their annual campaigns to get people vaccinated for this flu season, which begins in October. There is no approved vaccine for COVID-19, but there is one for influenza.
In Missouri, where more than 100,000 residents get sick from the flu in a typical year, the Department of Health and Senior Services will launch a multimedia public awareness campaign on Oct. 1.
AARP has warned members that finding a shot this year “might be trickier than usual” thanks to the pandemic, because some places where you might usually find one — such as at work — might be closed.
“Of course we want individuals to get the vaccine and to protect themselves and the people around them,” said Corrie Courtney, program manager for immunizations for the Clay County Public Health Center.
“But in the bigger picture, we think about the community and the people in our health care system, hospitals, first responders and everybody who is responding to all of the things that are going on with COVID. Adding influenza to that picture, we don’t know what that’s going to look like.”
Last season, influenza caused 39 million to 56 million illnesses, 410,000 to 740,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 to 62,000 deaths between Oct. 1 and April 4 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The flu arrives this year while the country is still sick with COVID-19 — more then 7 million cases and more than 200,000 deaths thus far, according to the latest CDC estimates.
This clash of two titans has been dubbed a “twindemic.”
The nation’s top health experts emphasized flu vaccinations at a Senate hearing Wednesday, where CDC director Robert Redfield pointed out that 90% of Americans remain susceptible to COVID-19 because they haven’t had it yet.
“What we don’t want is two conflated respiratory infections at the same time as we enter into the fall and winter,” White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci told senators. “We want to get as many people vaccinated with the flu vaccination as possible.”
Mild flu seasons in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly Australia, give American medical experts hope that COVID-19 safety strategies will work against influenza, too, and help keep the season to a dull roar.
That means keep wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds and washing your hands.
“So if we could combine the (flu) vaccination as much as we possibly can … with the public health measures, hopefully we can have a very, very low level of flu that would not then complicate what would clearly be a challenge in the winter with COVID-19,” Fauci said.
With both diseases circulating at the same time, said Courtney, “I don’t think people should get too comfortable.”
Who should get a flu shot?
Health officials recommend an annual flu shot for everyone over the age of six months who is not at risk for a serious adverse reaction, especially people over 65 or those who have a weakened immune system that makes them more vulnerable to severe complications.
Other groups that are at high risk include children 5 and younger, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma.
Half of us don’t follow the advice. In a typical flu season, less than 50% of Americans get vaccinated. The rate is even lower among Black and Hispanic Americans.
The pandemic, though, seems to be changing people’s minds. A CVS Health survey found that in January, 34% of American consumers said they definitely or likely would get a flu shot. By July, 66% intended to get one this season, with 54% saying they planned to do it earlier than last year.
Courtney said some people won’t get a flu shot because they think it will give them the flu. That’s not true, health experts tell people every season.
Some people think they don’t need a shot because they’ve never had the flu, or because they’re healthy and never get sick, she said.
“Some people are just afraid of needles and don’t like to get the shot,” she said. “I’ve never met anybody who is looking forward to getting their flu shot. Nobody enjoys it. But it’s something we do to protect ourselves and our community.”
When should I get one?
You should get a flu shot by the end of October, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends.
Getting the shot earlier could leave you unprotected later in the season because the vaccine’s effectiveness has been known to wane over the months, especially in older adults. Plus, health officials would rather avoid a big rush for vaccinations later in the season when cases peak.
“You get it too early and then when March comes your window may be starting to run out and you don’t want that,” Steve Stites, chief medical officer for the University of Kansas Health System, said at a recent briefing.
It can be difficult to predict when influenza will peak in any given year; outbreaks have happened as early as October. But the worst doesn’t typically hit Kansas City until January and February, said Courtney, the same as around the country.
“But, the thing is, we never know when it’s going to start, so that’s why we recommend that people get a vaccine once it’s available, because it takes about two weeks to start working,” she said.
Where can I get one?
The website VaccineFinder.org lets you search for vaccine sites across the country. And you can get a flu shot at your doctor’s office, some urgent cares, grocery stores and pharmacies.
CVS is offering flu shots at nearly 10,000 CVS Pharmacy locations and about 1,100 MinuteClinics inside pharmacies and Targets across the country. Walgreens offers flu shots at all of its more than 9,000 pharmacies.
Some public health departments offer them, too. The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, for instance, offers flu shots on a walk-in basis from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays, at 11875 S. Sunset Drive in Olathe. The shot costs $30 for people who don’t have insurance.
Most insurance plans, Medicare Part B and Medicaid cover the cost. If you don’t have insurance, a flu shot can cost up to $50 or more.
The Kansas City Health Department offers walk-in flu shots at its clinic at 2400 Troost Ave., and a limited supply is available free to residents who don’t have insurance.
The Jackson County Health Department will host a drive-thru flu clinic 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of its Independence office, 313 S. Liberty St. Reservations are required; jacohd.org. It costs $15 if you do not have insurance or your insurance doesn’t cover vaccinations.
Are flu shots safe?
Yes. “Flu vaccines have a good safety record,” the CDC says.
But they can cause side effects that typically go away within a few days. You could develop a low-grade fever or body aches; tenderness, redness and soreness in the arm around the shot site; a headache and nausea.
How effective is it?
Getting a flu shot does not guarantee you won’t get the flu, but it can decrease your odds. And, if you get sick, your symptoms could be milder than if you weren’t vaccinated.
People 65 or older can get a special high-dose vaccine made specifically for that high-risk group.
Effectiveness can vary year to year. Generally, the vaccines are said to reduce the risk of influenza between 40% and 60% in years when researchers have done a good job matching the vaccine to the viruses spreading at the time, says the CDC.
Flu viruses change constantly — that’s why you have to get vaccinated every year — and deciding which to target is a group effort. More than 100 influenza centers in more than 100 countries conduct year-round surveillance of the virus. They send representative viruses to five World Health Organization flu research centers, including at the CDC in Atlanta.
Directors of those five centers meet twice a year — in February to select the vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere’s upcoming flu season and in September for the Southern Hemisphere. Individual countries, though, decide which viruses to target. The FDA makes that decision in the United States.
“During years when the flu vaccine is not well matched to circulating influenza viruses, it is possible that little or no benefit from flu vaccination may be observed,” says the CDC.
Will the flu shot protect me against COVID-19?
No. Influenza and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses. There’s also no evidence that having had COVID-19 will give you immunity or protection against the flu.
Is it possible to have COVID-19 and the flu at the same time?
Yes.
When the pandemic began, the United States was just finishing up last flu season, so “we know that it can happen,” Dr. Dana Hawkinson with the University of Kansas Health System said during a recent coronavirus briefing.
Some early studies suggested that getting the flu and COVID-19 at the same time would be rare, but later studies suggested it could be more common — one more reason doctors are championing flu shots to lower the risk of a double whammy.
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