The HHS permits pharmacists in all 50 states to vaccinate children with influenza. Massachusetts requires flu vaccination for all children

“You have this full storm in the fall. Everyone is back from vacation. Some are back to work. Schools have begun in some parts of the country,” said Professor of Global Health at Georgetown University. Said Lawrence Gostin. “There will be massive migrations and people will be accompanied by both the flu and covid-19 with it. I have no plausible reason why both would not exist.”

In anticipation of the double hit of the new coronavirus-causing flu, covid-19, influenza vaccine manufacturers Increased production In the United States, about 200 million doses have been reduced by about 15% to record levels. More than 175 million doses were given during the 2019-2020 influenza season, according to industry sources.

Massachusetts Announced on Wednesday All young people over 6 months attending a state nursery, kindergarten, kindergarten, elementary, junior high, high school or higher must be vaccinated against influenza and should be vaccinated against all age groups from parenting to college first I need it now. According to Gostin, six states require flu vaccination for daycare, but no other state requires flu vaccination from kindergarten to high school. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said that students would be expected to be vaccinated against influenza by December 31 unless they provided medical or religious exemptions.

Childhood vaccination It dropped sharply during the pandemic. To extend access, federal health authorities Issued a command Allow pharmacists in all 50 states to receive childhood vaccinations, including influenza vaccinations. The move was praised by some advocates, but the announcement drew intense criticism from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which was described as “incredibly irrelevant.” Pediatricians’ clinics are open and safe, doctors’ groups said families should be encouraged to go to the most trusted doctor in the midst of a pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises everyone over 6 months to get the influenza vaccine every year, with a few exceptions. Vaccines are considered to be especially important for individuals at risk of severe illness, including children under the age of two. Adults over 65 years old, People with a suppressed immune system, pregnant women, people with chronic lung, heart, kidney or liver disease.

CDC Recommended As September and October A good time to get a vaccination. Given the increased availability of influenza vaccines and the outbreak of the influenza virus, vaccinations should continue after January, officials said. Experts have little data on the interaction between coronaviruses and influenza viruses, but it is possible that someone could be infected with both at the same time.

“It’s not good if you’re recovering from an upset condition and have the flu in addition to your bad lung disease,” said Flor Munoz, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Doctors recommend vaccinating individuals at least two weeks before the spread of the flu, as it takes about two weeks before the flu vaccine is fully protected.

Experts monitor influenza activity in Australia and elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere as a possible predictor of US seasons. Many countries, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa Zimbabwe has reported low levels of influenza.

A senior official at the World Health Organization this week found that only 37% of nearly 300,000 specimens were influenza positive, due to a global influenza surveillance network discovered during the past two week reporting cycle.

Quoted Expert Public health measures It was introduced early in the coronavirus pandemic, in countries that were severely affected, to help reduce the circulation of influenza. They fear that the situation in the United States is likely to be different. In Australia and elsewhere, “people were staying in line with government directives,” Muñoz said.

Health officials have said that consumers should prioritize influenza vaccination more than ever. Pharmacies and clinics have introduced systems to maintain social distance. The CVS pharmacy chain said it plans to deliver twice as many vaccines as last year’s flu season. Starting in September, CVS will expand digital options for creating appointments, allowing people to create them via text for the first time.

Arnold Montt, a professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, said: “We have a system in place to keep us out of the crowd,” he said, and people need to remember that the main way both diseases spread is through person-to-person contact. Pointed out that there is. “This is not rocket science.”

Not yet Coronavirus vaccine Only if approved at the end of the year or early next year Limited dose Will be available first. Reducing the flu case will free up space in hospitals, clinics and laboratories to deal with covid-19.

Influenza viruses change with each flu season, and vaccine efficacy varies between about 40-60%. The overall effectiveness of the vaccine last season About 39%..

According to the CDC, influenza causes up to 45 million cases of illness, 810,000 hospitalizations, and 61,000 deaths each year in the United States. Diseases caused by the new coronavirus have infected more than 5 million people and killed at least 170,000 in the United States From February, Washington Post data.

Only about half of Americans get the influenza vaccine each year. Vaccination rates are even lower for black, Hispanic, and American Indian adults.

“These gaps in vaccination coverage are particularly relevant this season, as COVID-19 reveals another dimension of health inequalities in the United States,” said Robert R, co-author of the essay. . Redfield says. Published on Thursday At JAMA.

These groups too Affected by imbalance In a pandemic. Analysis of data from more than 3,000 counties in the United States through mid-April shows that 20% of counties with more than 13% of black residents account for more than half of covid-19 diagnoses and deaths, according to the CDC. I found out that

According to Redfield, vaccination against influenza is an important intervention to reduce or prevent people from dying of serious illness.

“This fall and winter can be one of the most complicated public health eras for two people to come at the same time,” said Thursday in another interview with JAMA. He said the goal of the CDC is for 65% of Americans to be vaccinated against influenza during the season.

A directive allowing pharmacists to vaccinate children was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that vaccination rates remain high during pandemics. HHS Secretary Alex Hazard has issued a directive using the emergency authority granted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Currently, 28 states allow pharmacists to vaccinate children, but 22 states have restricted such vaccinations. The HHS Directive supersedes these restrictions in public health emergencies. According to the HHS statement, pharmacists need to complete a training program.

Many of the symptoms of influenza and covid-19 are virtually indistinguishable. But there are important differences, experts say:

The new coronavirus is more contagious than influenza.

・Loss of taste and smell is a symptom of covid-19, but not flu.

* Nasal congestion and sore throat are one of the most common symptoms of influenza, but not covid-19.