Does COVID double the risk of death if I get the flu? | Doctor’s Note

Globally, an estimated 290,000 to 650,000 people usually die of seasonal flu each year. But last year it was different. The Northern Hemisphere winter of 2020-21 saw some of the lowest recorded influenza mortality rates.

Scientists believe that this is mainly due to the restrictions imposed during the heyday of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the reduction of crowds in indoor spaces, social distance, wearing masks and hand washing.

Many countries, including the United Kingdom, also saw records Numbers The number of people seeking the flu vaccine during this time is partly motivated by the fear of being infected with COVID and the flu at the same time. As a result, influenza cases, hospitalizations and deaths have decreased compared to previous influenza seasons.

However, many social distance measurements have been lifted as most developed countries are now fully vaccinated against COVID and the government is focused on reversing some of the pandemic’s economic damage. it was done. In the United Kingdom alone, despite about 40,000 new cases of COVID per day, almost all safeguards have been lifted to reduce the risk of transmission of the disease.

As a result, the number of COVID cases has increased significantly, usually coincident with the beginning of the influenza season. There is real concern that more people could get the flu this year than ever before, and many could get the flu and COVID at the same time.

It was good that the influenza pandemic level dropped last year, but this year it could hit us again.

The flu season is usually easier to handle if some of the population has innate immunity as a result of the previous year’s infection. However, as fewer people have the flu last year, the immune system of the natural population may be weakened.

In addition to this, the Northern Hemisphere can usually see the Southern Hemisphere. For example, in a country like Australia, where the flu season precedes the Northern Hemisphere, you can see which flu strains are prevalent and include them in your flu vaccine. .. However, due to COVID blockades and restrictions in Australia that limit the circulation of influenza, it is difficult to accurately predict which strains will occur this season.

Influenza and COVID-19 are serious illnesses. Both can be fatal, and infection at the same time increases the risk of serious illness. Get the vaccine. It is our best line of defense against both.

All of this can lead to a particularly cruel flu season this year. To mitigate this risk, many countries have launched ambitious influenza vaccine campaigns, and many Western countries have combined this to get the COVID vaccine or qualify if they have not yet been vaccinated. If there is, we recommend booster vaccination.

With all the news about COVID, it’s easy to be content with the flu, but it can be a serious and deadly illness. Influenza affects the lungs, causing pneumonia, heart problems, sepsis, and can be fatal. During an acute flu infection, the immune system can weaken while fighting the virus. At the same time, another infection, such as COVID-19, increases the risk of long-term organ damage and death.

Talk to Sky news On October 10, Dr. Jenny Harries, Chief of Health and Security, UK, said that people who received the flu and COVID at the same time this winter could die twice as much as those who had only the coronavirus. He said it was highly sexual. “I think the coming winter is uncertain,” she warned.

However, there are things you can do to reduce the risk of developing influenza and COVID at the same time. The most important thing is to get the vaccine if you qualify. It’s hard to predict this year, but in general flu vaccines can reduce your risk of illness by 40-60 percent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts four influenza strains that are most likely to cause infections this year, and these are what vaccines prevent you. The flu vaccine does not prevent the flu, it only protects you from the flu, but mild side effects such as arm pain and headaches are normal.

It is also advisable to wear a mask and practice hand hygiene in crowded indoor spaces and public transport. In addition to this, ventilating the indoor space helps to blow off particles containing the flu virus exhaled by infected people.

Influenza and COVID-19 are serious illnesses. Both can be fatal, and infection at the same time increases the risk of serious illness. Get the vaccine. It is our best line of defense against both.

Progress report: Increase in pregnant women hospitalized for COVID-19

The United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) encourages pregnant women to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as new data. show Almost 20% of the most severe COVID patients are unvaccinated pregnant women.

Since July, one in five people receiving specialized treatment known as Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) has been unvaccinated, according to the latest UK data. People in need of ECMO suffer from a severe and life-threatening COVID infection that causes their lungs to malfunction.

Pregnant women with COVID-19 have a 76% increased risk of preeclampsia. This can be a fatal complication of pregnancy. And calmly, it is pointed out that the COVID-related maternal mortality rate is 22 times higher than that of uninfected pregnant women.

[Jawahir Al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]

It is now well established that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) is actually safe for pregnant women to take and the risk of getting the virus outweighs the potential risk of the vaccine. ..In 827 pregnant women who completed their pregnancy and received one or two mRNA vaccines, recently study No increase in miscarriage and stillbirth has been reported compared to pre-COVID rates. There were no adverse effects on newborns, including increased preterm birth or birth defects.

Nevertheless, there remains a high level of hesitation among pregnant and planning women when it comes to COVID vaccination. Most of this is due to false information spreading online about the effectiveness of vaccines on developing babies. However, we also need to reach out to the fact that the approval of the maternity vaccine was delayed at the beginning of the rollout, resulting in inconsistent messages and confusion.

Pregnant and lactating women are often excluded from clinical trials for ethical reasons. However, due to the delay in obtaining this safety data for the COVID vaccine, pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant were said to be unable to receive the vaccine. It wasn’t until the safety data arrived and the advice changed. There is no doubt that this contributed to this group’s hesitation in vaccines. It also emphasizes the need to enroll this high-risk group in the trial to benefit from new therapies.

The current focus must be to repeatedly remind unvaccinated pregnant women that vaccines are safe and effective. Although COVID restrictions have been relaxed around the world, the virus is still very prevalent and vulnerable groups such as pregnant women are still at high risk.

Personal explanation: What the (wrong) treatment of the British pandemic did to take care of the home

Science and Technology Commission and Health and Social Welfare Commission announced sorry report It criticized the British government and its scientific advisers for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, compiled by a group of cross-party parliamentarians, focused on important decisions made by policy makers and their results.

The main criticism was that the pandemic program was based on the outbreak of influenza rather than viruses such as SARS and MERS, which are much more similar to the viruses that cause COVID-19. This meant that advice on controlling outbreaks and protecting vulnerabilities was based on a much less infectious and less lethal virus, leading to a catastrophic number of deaths in the early stages of the pandemic. ..

The report does not take the pandemic seriously enough that the government seeks “herd immunity” by spreading the virus in a controlled manner rather than trying to stop the infection. It states. Controlled spread through unvaccinated populations is now known to mean that more people have died.

He also said that the initial blockade was not done early enough and that the early blockade would have taken the time to develop a very necessary “test and track” system. In my opinion, another delay that caused unnecessary death.

The report describes a “slow and chaotic” test and trace system. Britain’s lukewarm border control measures. He says he could have done more to slow the spread of the alpha mutant that caused the second wave of death in the winter of 2020-21. It also describes how minority groups were not protected despite the hardest hits.

[Jawahir Al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]

But perhaps the hardest part for me to read was the care home part. The truth was that people were sent from the hospital, even though then Health Minister Matt Hancock said he had put a “protection ring” around the care home. Returning to a long-term care facility without being tested for the virus will tragically result in many deaths.

As a doctor who worked throughout the pandemic and saw the effects of these failures in real time, I’m not surprised by the findings in the report. But it’s painful to see it listed this way in black and white. I work in a densely populated city center. I saw some of the patients in these groups die. I held the hand of a dying caregiver resident who was not allowed to take my family. I called my loved ones and informed them that their mother or father had died from COVID. These are true stories from the pandemic.

One of my complaints is that I’m not accountable. The families of those who have lost the virus continue to suffer, and this report will exacerbate the suffering. This is a new illness and I admit that I was learning in the process, but I should have been able to do better. You could have seen a country like South Korea working on things more effectively, not looking at the number of deaths seen in Britain and some other countries.

Hindsight is always valuable, but my only hope in the future is to learn lessons and not repeat the same mistakes. We need to humbly say what we know about dealing with a pandemic, who is the most vulnerable group, and that sometimes it is better to act early than to respond too late.

Good news: children across Africa are vaccinated against malaria

Vaccines that help protect against malaria have always been going to be historic, so there are many celebrations of WHO recommending the development of new ones. RTS, S vaccine..

Malaria is one of the largest child killer in Africa, and as a voluntary activity in Malawi, I have seen first-hand how malaria can devastate families. Currently, malaria kills children every two minutes in Africa.

Malaria is caused by parasites that can invade the human body when an infected female mosquito bites. Parasites target red blood cells and infect and destroy them. There are several types of malaria parasites, but the most common in Africa is Plasmodium falciparum.

Studies conducted in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi found that the vaccine reduced severe malaria by 30% and was considered cost-effective.

The disadvantage is that it is given in four doses of the final booster at the ages of 5, 6, 7, and 18 months. This requires some organization, which will save countless lives.

Reader’s Question: Is it safe to get the flu shot and the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time?

Yes.

During the initial deployment of the COVID vaccine, it was advised to wait 7-14 days before obtaining another type of vaccine, but this was revised as more evidence became apparent thereafter.

Health authorities around the world have agreed that both vaccines can be given at the same time. This is not a new concept. We often inoculate multiple pediatric vaccines at the same time, but it is considered safe to do so.

So if you Offer Both at the same time, my advice is to take them.