It’s that time of year! The fall semester is coming to its zenith and the flu will be making its yearly round. As flu season approaches and with COVID-19 still spreading among communities, it is more important to get your flu shot this season than ever before. Whether you have had the coronavirus or not, the benefits from receiving a flu vaccination may be life-saving.
On October 7th, the Georgia Department of health released a statement over the rise in concern of the influenza virus becoming another threat to public health in combination with the Coronavirus. “We are trying to prevent twindemics,” Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey announced, detailing the risk of a flu outbreak exacerbating the damage COVID-19 has already caused Georgians.
Influenza, like the coronavirus, is a highly-contagious respiratory illness that can become especially serious in senior citizens and people with pre-existing health conditions. In severe cases, the flu can require hospitalizations. As a recent health publication from UCSF iterates, having this potentially-deadly virus going around would only exacerbate the stress the current pandemic has had on our lives in that “(a worst-case-scenario) surge in COVID-19 cases this winter (could fill) ICUs so that even a mild flu season would overwhelm hospitals”.
Fortunately, unlike what is currently available for the coronavirus, the flu has a seasonal vaccine. According to the CDC, receiving a seasonal flu vaccination is “the best way to prevent the flu”.
For those that have contracted the coronavirus virus, the upcoming flu season may be more concerning this year. In late-June, reports of a study conducted over severely-ill COVID-19 patients showed a decrease in the levels of the immune-supporting T cells and B cells. Though these findings are not conclusive in determining how COVID-19 affects the immune system nor do they address those mildly affected by a coronavirus infection, the uncertainty may be reason enough to take extra precautions for protecting the body.
With this information, it’s clear that the effects of a previous COVID-19 infection may have unforeseen compromises to the immune system, making it be more difficult to fight off future infections with other illnesses.
Getting vaccinated against the flu can protect post-coronavirus-infected immune systems from having to fight off another full force virus. Coinciding with this effort, the flu vaccination can prevent you from spreading the virus to someone else who is recovering from COVID-19.
There are many locations available to receive the flu vaccine on-campus and around Atlanta, most costing little to no money. Stamp’s Health Services is offering several clinics this month along with the regular appointment method where vaccines are free to students that have paid the health fee.
Many CVS and Publix locations also offer appointment-based services for vaccinations. The CDC also offers the Vaccine Finder tool to find flu vaccine administration locations by address or zip code. Go get vaccinated!