Getting a Flu Shot Is More Important than Ever. Here’s Why.
As 2020 marches on, it brings us yet another challenge: flu season. True to form, this year's flu season is unlike any other, as we are still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Further complicating things are the similarities between influenza, also called the seasonal flu, and COVID-19. It is critical to diagnose patients accurately to protect them, their loved ones, and their communities.
Getting a Flu Shot Is More Important than Ever. Here's Why.
November 23, 2020
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As 2020 marches on, it brings us yet another challenge: flu season. True to form, this year's flu season is unlike any other, as we are still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Further complicating things are the similarities between influenza, also called the seasonal flu, and COVID-19. It is critical to diagnose patients accurately to protect them, their loved ones, and their communities.
The CDC recommends that everyone get an annual flu shot. This quick and easy preventative step can help reduce hospitalizations, protect healthcare workers, and enable better outcomes for patients. Below is information you can share to educate friends, family, and patients about why getting a flu shot is vital.
Similarities and Differences Between COVID-19 and the Seasonal Flu
The symptoms of COVID-19 and seasonal flu are very similar. Healthcare providers need to be able to distinguish between the two conditions. Both can range from mild to severe, and both can even be asymptomatic. Distinct differences between the two viruses include the following:
- COVID-19 can result in a change of loss of taste or smell.
- Seasonal flu symptoms typically present in one to four days.
- COVID-19 symptoms can develop in as little as one day following exposure, but typically present in five to 14 days.
Getting the flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and help healthcare workers better understand your overall health picture.
Protect People with Chronic Conditions
Six out of 10 adults in the U.S. have a chronic disease.1 These conditions include diabetes, obesity, heart disease, lung disease, and cancer, among others. COVID-19 revealed how important it is to protect people with chronic conditions, as the coronavirus severely affects those with existing disease. The seasonal flu can be just as severe for people with chronic illnesses. A flu shot is an easy preventative tool for these high-risk patients.
Protect Pregnant Women and Newborn Babies
A recent study showed that getting a flu shot while pregnant can reduce a woman's risk of flu-associated hospitalization by an average of 40%.2 Studies have also shown that a flu vaccine given during pregnancy helps protect the baby from flu for several months after birth, when it is too young to get vaccinated.3
Protect Everyone Around You
A flu shot helps protect you and the people you interact with every day. This preventative step is critical, given the prevalence of chronic disease and the number of people at risk of experiencing severe complications from influenza. The seasonal flu can spread from person to person through coughing, sneezing, or talking with someone who is infected. A vaccine is the best way to limit the spread of the disease.
Reduce Hospitalizations and Free Up Resources
In the U.S., COVID-19 is surging, and healthcare systems are strained. The seasonal flu will significantly increase the stress on these systems and on the healthcare workers providing care. Influenza vaccination brings needed relief to a heavily burdened system. During the 2018-2019 flu season, the flu vaccine prevented an estimated:
- 4.4 million illnesses4
- 2.3 million medical visits4
- 58,000 hospital visits4
Getting a flu shot is a simple way to protect yourself and others while taking some pressure off of healthcare workers. Encourage your patients to get a flu shot — it's fast, easy, and this year, more important than ever.
Footnotes:
1“Chronic Diseases in America.”, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Sept. 2020, www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm.
2Mark G Thompson, Jeffrey C Kwong, Annette K Regan, Mark A Katz, Steven J Drews, Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner, Nicola P Klein, Hannah Chung, Paul V Effler, Becca S Feldman, Kimberley Simmonds, Brandy E Wyant, Fatimah S Dawood, Michael L Jackson, Deshayne B Fell, Avram Levy, Noam Barda, Lawrence W Svenson, Rebecca V Fink, Sarah W Ball, Allison Naleway. Influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing influenza-associated hospitalizations during pregnancy: A multi-country retrospective test negative design study, 2010–2016. Clinical Infectious Diseases. Volume 68, Issue 9, 2019 May 1, Pages 1444–1453.
3Tapia MD, Sow SO, Tamboura B, Tégueté I, Pasetti MF, Kodio M, Onwuchekwa U, Tennant SM, Blackwelder WC, Coulibaly F, Traoré A, Keita AM, Haidara FC, Diallo F, Doumbia M, Sanogo D, DeMatt E, Schluterman NH, Buchwald A, Kotloff KL, Chen WH, Orenstein EW, Orenstein LAV, Villanueva J, Bresee J, Treanor J, Levine MM. Maternal immunization with trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine for prevention of influenza in infants in Mali: a prospective, active-controlled, observer-blind, randomised phase 4 trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2016 Sep;16(9):1026-1035. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30054-8. Epub 2016 May 31. PMID: 27261067; PMCID: PMC4985566. https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/68/9/1444/5126390.
4Chung JR, Rolfes MA, Flannery B, Prasad P, O'Halloran A, Garg S, Fry AM, Singleton JA, Patel M, Reed C. Effects of influenza vaccination in the United States during the 2018-2019 influenza season. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Jan 6:ciz1244. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciz1244. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 31905401. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31905401/.
Article Sources:
- https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccine-benefits.htm
- https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/burden-averted.htm
- https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/effectiveness-studies.htm
- https://www.cdc.gov/flu/highrisk/pregnant.htm?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fflu%2Fprotect%2Fvaccine%2Fpregnant.htm
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