Why Getting a Flu Shot During COVID-19 Is Crucial

This season’s flu shot may be the most important one you’ll ever get — and if you haven’t gotten a flu shot before, this is definitely the year to start. Why? A busy flu season could pull health care providers and resources away from fighting the coronavirus pandemic, which seems likely to continue this fall and winter.

“The flu shot has extra importance this year as additional flu cases could further overtax the health care system,” says Dr. Matthew McLaughlin, a board-certified critical care medicine and pulmonary disease physician in the intensive care unit at Beaufort Memorial. “Additionally, symptoms for flu and COVID-19 can be similar, so patients with flu-related illness would also need to be considered for possible COVID-19 and could tax our testing capacity.”

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Let’s tackle some of the most common questions about flu season, the flu shot and COVID-19.

Will COVID-19 get worse when flu season starts?

It’s difficult to know. The virus that causes COVID-19 continued to spread rapidly during the summer, which is when cases for other respiratory viruses, such as flu, typically fall. That makes forecasting the pandemic’s future difficult. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports it’s likely that the coronavirus will continue spreading this fall, along with the flu. Flu season usually begins in September or October and peaks in our area in February.

“Typically, respiratory viruses spike during flu season, so there is concern this could occur with COVID-19, but the peak for the pandemic seems unlikely to follow other respiratory viruses,” Dr. McLaughlin says. “This is why it is important for people to remain vigilant about mask wearing and social distancing through flu season.”

Can I get the flu and the virus that causes COVID-19 at the same time?

Co-infection with the flu and the coronavirus is possible, according to the CDC, although experts are still trying to understand how often this happens. Dr. McLaughlin says being infected with both viruses at the same time may increase the risk of severe illness. If you get sick, the surest way to find out what’s causing the illness is to get tested for the flu and COVID-19 because the two share similar symptoms.

Which is worse, the flu or COVID-19?

Researchers are still working to determine whether COVID-19 is more dangerous than the flu, and the picture may become clearer as more data emerges. What’s clear now is that the flu and COVID-19 can both make people extremely sick and lead to death.

Read More: COVID-19 Info and Resources

Is the flu shot effective against COVID-19?

“It’s not expected that the flu shot would offer protection against COVID-19,” Dr. McLaughlin says. “The flu shot is important, however, to help maintain good health and avoid symptoms that could mimic COVID-19.”

Flu can cause serious illness in its own right, especially for individuals who have a higher risk, such as older adults and people with asthma, heart disease or another chronic health condition. Getting a flu shot may not protect you against COVID-19 or help stem the spread of the coronavirus, but the flu vaccine can help keep you safe from a potentially serious illness at a time when health care providers need to focus on fighting the pandemic as much as possible.

Is it safe to get a flu shot during the coronavirus pandemic?

Getting a flu shot will not increase your risk of infection from the virus that causes COVID-19. You can safely get a flu shot at a Beaufort Memorial primary care provider’s office, where recommended best practices are in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, or at a Beaufort Memorial Express Care and Occupational Health clinic. Be sure to stay 6 feet apart from others and wear a mask, especially when you can’t practice social distancing.

What’s the status of efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine?

This question is on many people’s minds. Currently, nearly 10 vaccines are in phase 3 clinical trials to test their effectiveness, and many more are in earlier phases of testing. Some experts are cautiously optimistic that a vaccine may be ready for use by the end of this year or early 2021, although the details of how to distribute the vaccine — which could require multiple doses — and who should get it first would need to be determined.

“Current clinical trials have shown promise but will need larger numbers of patients to prove, first and foremost, safety as well as its effectiveness,” he says. “Long term, we’ll need to continue to follow patients from vaccine trials to assess the durability of the immune response to COVID-19 vaccination.”

You can get your flu shot this fall from a Beaufort Memorial primary care provider. Find one who’s accepting new patients.