2021 flu season: what to expect as COVID continues

You probably didn’t hear too much about the flu season last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic was the star of the usual fall and winter viruses. But while you may still be focused on the coronavirus (as it should be), the flu season is fast approaching.

The experts then share their predictions for the flu season, how your immune system may be affected and what to do to keep you as healthy as possible:

This is mainly because flu activity was unusually low last year. In 2020, the lowest influenza hospitalization rate was recorded since tThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began collecting data in 2005. Only one pediatric death was reported, compared with 199 in the 2019-2020 flu season.

“In my own practice, last year I didn’t see as many cases of the flu as I normally would,” he said There’s Stewart, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians and family physician at the Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers in Columbia, South Carolina. “There are several reasons why this may have been, but things like wearing a mask, distancing yourself socially, practicing good handwashing hygiene and staying home when you feel bad probably had a profound impact on last flu season “.

“It’s true that because the immune system is exposed to bacteria and viruses, it learns how to better fight disease,” said Norman Moore, director of infectious disease science affairs at Abbott’s rapid diagnostic business. “But there is no evidence to indicate that the public health measures that many Americans took during this pandemic will make us more vulnerable to viruses like the flu.”

Instead, think of all this social distancing as a break for our immune systems to learn new ways to defend ourselves instead of taking a step back, Moore said.

The only social disadvantage that can affect your chances of getting the flu? If you distance yourself to avoid regular appointments with yours health care providers. Stewart said those who may have canceled non-emergency medical visits last year due to the pandemic and are still wary of going to the office or a pharmacy to get the flu shot do more harm than good to when it comes to protecting themselves and others.

“Respiratory infections spread through the air through coughs and those that don’t wash their hands often and touch their face, letting the virus enter through their mouth or nose,” Stewart said.

Thus, as restrictions on masking and social distancing eased this summer, the chance of germs spreading increased, which likely generated flu cases during the months of June, July and August.

Although the flu virus circulates more freely in low humidity, making the winter months indoors the key breeding ground, it is possible for the flu to spread at any time of the year. . For this reason, Stewart said flu shots were deployed as early as mid-September, which may seem premature to some people, but it is a crucial time to get vaccinated if possible.

Because influenza and COVID-19 present with a similar set of symptoms (including fever, chills, cough, fatigue, and body aches), self-diagnosis when not feeling well can be an impossible feat.

According to the World Health Organization, one of the factors that differentiates the two is the serial range (the time between successive cases) of each virus. But even this is hard to pinpoint if you don’t know where you may have contracted the virus. The symptoms of COVID-19 take about five to six days to appear, while those of the flu virus appear on average about three a day.

“Even if you have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu, it is crucial to determine the source of your disease,” Moore said. “If you have severe flu symptoms and / or are immunocompromised, talk to your healthcare provider about getting the flu tested right away. Flu treatments work best within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. “If you have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19, a rapid home test followed by a clinical molecular test are the best ways to rule out a viral infection.”

“The immune system gets stronger with a flu vaccine,” Stewart said. “Also, because immunity to the flu vaccine decreases after one year, in addition to flu variants changing from season to season, it’s important to keep up to date with receiving an annual flu vaccine.”

Both Moore and Stewart agreed that while projected flu rates may increase this year, the number 1 thing you can do to protect yourself is to get the flu shot.

“Getting an annual flu vaccine is the most effective way to protect yourself from the flu,” Moore said. “An influenza vaccine will not protect against COVID-19, but it has many other important benefits, including the reduction of serious flu-related illnesses and hospitalization, which can help lower the burden on the health system during the pandemic.”