CHENEY – As if dealing with Covid-19 isn’t bad enough, health officials are bracing for the coming impacts of another serious respiratory illness — the flu.
The potential confluence of both illnesses has led to physicians with the Washington State Medical Association to unite in sending out a simple, but urgent message: Be safe, be smart, get your flu shot. In fact, the WSMA is urging residents do the latter as quickly as possible in order to take flu “off the table.”
“Getting a flu vaccine at the beginning of the fall respiratory illness season is the smart and safe way to keep you and your loved ones out of the medical setting and hep conserve resources to care for Covid-19 patients,” WSMA board member and family medicine physician at Community Health of Spokane Monica Blykowski-May said in a Nov. 6 news release.
While Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths are surging around the country — including in Washington and particularly Idaho next door — flu activity is still relatively low, according to the Center for Disease Control’s website. In a Nov. 9 interview, Blykowski-May said the CDC and other health agencies are monitoring other countries, particularly those in the Southern Hemisphere, where influenza can first strike to try to get a preliminary picture of what to expect in the U.S.
According to the CDC’s “Flu Vaccination Planning for 2020-21,” influenza activity in the Southern Hemisphere is currently at lower than typical levels, with fewer countries reporting flu data and fewer viruses being detected in general. The report noted that three types of influenza viruses are currently circulating: H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B/Victoria.
Health officials speculate that measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 such as increased testing, social distancing and wearing masks may have helped reduce the spread so far of influenza. These measures may have also made interpreting disease data more difficult, making forecasting in the U.S. increasingly uncertain.
“I certainly wouldn’t want to depend on those other countries who are better at using these methods (to fight Covid-19),” Blykowski-May said. “Something they’re doing seems to be having more success than what we have.”
But even other countries are experiencing sharp increases in Covid-19 infections, she added, and it’s wise for people to guard against compounding this with an outbreak of flu in the U.S. Health experts are worried about this because both viruses share similar symptoms.
It’s also possible for individuals to contract both at the same time, as a study published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated, finding that 20 % of patients were infected with another respiratory virus in addition to Covid-19.
“We saw this last March, when flu was still active,” Blykowski-May said.
The WSMA noted in its September influenza vaccination campaign guidelines that “There’s much uncertainty about what this co-infection would look like” and that “it would likely be worse than just having one of the viruses.” Health experts are also worried about the strain outbreaks for both viruses could have on a medical care system already feeling the impacts of the ever-increasing surge of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations — another reason they’re stressing flu vaccinations.
“With hospitals full, why wouldn’t you do everything you could do to protect yourself?” Blykowski-May asked.
Particularly for those most at risk of infection, which in the case of the flu is virtually identical to Covid-19: those age 65 and older, those with chronic respiratory illnesses such as asthma and COPD and infants. The WSMA notes flu vaccines are free for all children ages 6 months – 18 years old through the state’s Washington Childhood Vaccination Program.
Most adults can receive free flu vaccines through their insurance plans. Uninsured adults can also receive a free flu vaccine, and should visit the state Department of Health website for more information under “You and Your Family.” Additionally, local health organizations are providing access to the vaccine, with CHAS staging “Drive-up Flu Shot” clinics every Saturday, including one Nov. 14 at the Maple Street Clinic in Spokane.
Some people believe that in order for a flu vaccine to work, it must first make you sick with the virus, and therefore use this to abstain from getting the shot. Blykowski-May said this isn’t true as the shot works to create antibody responses in the immune system, and those who became sick after getting a flu shot likely were sick at the time of the vaccination.
She also said that, like Covid-19, people who are young and healthy typically aren’t as susceptible to catching the flu as higher-risk individuals. This can create a false sense of security, however.
“While the risk is less, they are not necessarily safer by being young and healthy,” she added.
Finally, Blykowski-May said people should practice common sense and health habits such as frequent handwashing, social distancing and wearing masks to help ward off illness. And, she added, there is the obvious precaution.
“If you’re not feeling well, lay low, stay home and self-isolate until it’s clear what’s happening with you,” Blykowski-May said.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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