MedicalXPress — 5 November 2021
The University of Toronto is encouraging students, staff, faculty and librarians on its three campuses to get their annual flu shot to further protect their health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s flu season was unusually mild due to COVID-19 lockdowns and other public health measures that reduced transmission. But with fewer public health measures in place this year, infectious disease experts say more people could get the flu, increasing their risk of severe illness should they contract both viruses.
A high number of flu cases could also place an added strain on a health-care system that’s already under significant pressure, says Susy Hota, the medical director of infection prevention and control at the University Health Network and an associate professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s department of medicine.
In an interview with U of T News, Hota explained why the flu shot is especially important this year: “We don’t yet know how COVID-19 and influenza will interact. Will people get sicker if they are co-infected with the two? The good news is that a small amount of data out of England showed that co-infections are uncommon. The bad news is that the risk of death with co-infections was higher than if you had a single infection.”
Hota also highlighted the risks to the healthcare system: “We’re still dealing with the pandemic, and health-care capacity is strained. If we also have to deal with a deluge of influenza infections, then this will strain the health-care system even further and make it hard for us to provide care for everyone who needs it.”
The influenza vaccine provides 40 to 60 percent protection against the virus. Fever, cough and shortness of breath can be present in either a COVID-19 infection or influenza. A loss of — or change in — your sense of smell or taste is more specific to COVID-19. “COVID-19 is the one with the major public health implications. If you develop any of these symptoms, you need to stay home, and you should get tested for COVID-19,” Hota advised. She recommended getting vaccinated now, as influenza vaccination campaigns are rolled out in advance of the flu season which runs from November to March or April.