Two-for-one vaccination clinics also fight flu and Covid

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By Jacqueline Howard, CNN

They’re a fall staple in most communities across the United States: flu shot clinics.

But this year, many will offer something more – Covid-19 snapshots.

As the Delta variant spreads and uncertainty persists as to what the flu season might bring, joint vaccination clinics have sprung up in cities and counties across the country to provide a unique choice to receive either a Covid-19 vaccine, either an influenza vaccine or both.

“I think a lot of us are concerned that we haven’t seen a lot of flu last year. Are we going to see the convergence of a pandemic and an influenza season at the same time, when we are already witnessing a crisis in our health facilities? Dr. Robert Hopkins, chief of general internal medicine at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Chairman of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, told CNN.

Last week, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences opened a new vaccination clinic in Little Rock to provide both Covid-19 and influenza vaccines to students, staff, or anyone in the community.

“We are trying, as much as possible, to meet the needs of influenza prevention and Covid-19 prevention, and as you well know, Arkansas vaccination rates for Covid are not where we would like them to be. see by all means. “said Hopkins.

“If someone wants to get the flu shot and they haven’t had a Covid vaccine, we can encourage them to get both, or vice versa,” he said. “If they come in wanting the Covid vaccine and they haven’t had the flu shot and we can encourage them to do both, we are potentially going to have a greater impact on both disease prevention efforts. . “

Also last week, a joint clinic for vaccination against Covid-19 and influenza arose in Lumberton, North Carolina.

Robeson Community College hosted the clinic on Wednesday, in partnership with Walgreens, to deliver Covid-19 and flu vaccines to students, faculty, staff and the general public.

The college has signed up with the White House and the US Department of Education to be a “vaccine champion”By delivering vaccines to students and the community – and, so far, has helped vaccinate more than 200 people against Covid-19 at clinics on its campus. Robeson County has some of the lowest vaccination rates in North Carolina, wrote Melissa Singler, president of Robeson Community College, in an email to CNN.

“We felt that holding a joint vaccination clinic for COVID-19 and influenza was the right thing to do,” Singler wrote in the email, adding that the clinic is the first offered by the college. for the Covid-19 vaccine and the influenza vaccine.

“Vaccinations are essential during the new school year to help us avoid interruptions,” Singler wrote. “The flu was expected to be worse this year than the year before, but our county is at a critical stage with COVID-19 transmission rates at record levels, so this is our main focus,” in the prevention of epidemics and groups. “

In more cities and counties across the country, there has been talk of planning flu vaccination events alongside Covid-19 vaccination clinics to help get people vaccinated against the flu and coronavirus.

“Clinics exist”

“This is a big concern for our health services which remain worried about the confluence between the flu and the pandemic – and whether we should organize flu clinics and vaccines together to try to protect people. as much as possible “, Lori Tremmel Freeman, CEO of National Association of County and City Health Officials, told CNN.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics both said people can receive their flu shots simultaneously with a Covid-19 vaccine.

“There are concerns about how we are going to be able to cope with the flu season in addition to the pandemic, especially for school-aged children,” Freeman said.

“The problem with seasonal flu is you never know what you’re going to have with the flu season. You never know what kind of flu, ”Freeman said. “Will it be a particularly harmful flu that affects certain populations?” The last thing we need is another severe flu that might affect certain groups of the population differently, like the elderly or children. “

To make vaccinations convenient for children, some schools have long served as sites for influenza vaccination clinics – and in many schools across the country the clinics have started operating, Linda Mendonca, president, told CNN. of the National Association of School Nurses.

“We are still preparing for flu season every year. Thus, school nurses are engaged in the coordination of vaccination clinics located in schools in their school communities, ”Mendonca said, adding that joint clinics to administer influenza and Covid-19 vaccines“ make sense ”.

“We definitely promote vaccines as a way to reduce the risk of preventable disease or viruses, like the flu,” Mendonca said. “Clinics exist. “

Still, it remains unclear whether the next flu season could be particularly harsh – or almost nonexistent, as it was last year.

What the flu season could bring

“It is well known that the flu is unpredictable. We have some clues as to what to expect each year based on what’s happening in the southern hemisphere and what happened in other countries during the Covid-19 pandemic ”, Dr Flor Munoz, specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at Texas Children’s Hospital, told CNN.

“I don’t think we were very surprised to not seen influenza activity last year, because that’s exactly what happened in the countries of the southern hemisphere, ”said Munoz. “There was still very little flu in the southern hemisphere this year. It was yet another mild winter season in the southern hemisphere, where there was no typical high influenza activity. But what we are seeing in the United States is that there has been low level activity from late summer, which is unusual. “

Since there were relatively few cases of influenza last year, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health predicted in a pre-printed paper that there will be a major “compensatory” influenza season this year. The article, which was not published in a peer-reviewed journal, was posted on the medrxiv.org server last month.

A model based on previous influenza seasons projects in the document that there could be 102,000 additional hospitalizations this coming season due to influenza illnesses, which is a 20% increase over the average number of hospitalizations in the country. during previous influenza seasons. Researchers predict that some people might have waning immunity due to low levels of the flu circulating last year.

“However, an increase in the flu vaccination rate would reduce this predicted increase in flu,” the researchers wrote in their article.

“This year the situation could be dangerously different”

The The American College of Emergency Physicians issued a statement Thursday, noting that there are “warning signs” that the next flu season could be severe and recommending that all eligible people get vaccinated against Covid-19 and the flu.

“Last year, more people staying at home and covering their faces when going out kept the flu count at an all-time low, but this year the situation could be dangerously different,” said Dr Mark Rosenberg, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, in a statement. the statement.

“Unfortunately, misinformation is rampant and the risk of contracting or spreading either virus increases as more people reject proven public health protocols,” Rosenberg said. “We should take every precaution to protect ourselves and our loved ones against either virus. Getting the vaccine is one of the best ways to avoid the double whammy of flu and COVID. “

Dr David Cennimo, infectious disease specialist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said in a press release that a “half-half-twin” of Covid-19 and influenza is “very possible” this year.

“Based on what we are currently seeing for other respiratory infections, like Respiratory Syncytial Virus, which is making a comeback, I expect that we will see a resurgence of influenza at above average levels. this year, “Cennimo said in the statement.

“This is another reason why flu and COVID-19 vaccinations are so important. Although cases have been rare, you can contract COVID-19 and the flu at the same time, which could make your condition worse. On the health care side, the circulation of the two viruses makes diagnosis difficult. If you get the flu, you will need to quarantine yourself and get tested to rule out COVID-19, ”he said.

“This highlights the importance for children under the age of 12, who cannot yet receive the COVID-19 vaccine, to receive the flu vaccine. Vaccinated children are less at risk for the flu, the symptoms of which can be mistaken for COVID-19 and cause potentially unnecessary school quarantines while awaiting a correct diagnosis. “

Doctors recommend flu shot by Halloween

Pediatricians recommend that adults and children 6 months and older be vaccinated against the flu before Halloween, regardless of flu season.

“It’s already available, so you can get vaccinated now and ideally by the end of October if possible,” said Munoz, author of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for the prevention and control of influenza.

“It’s important to have the ability to prevent any of the infections that cause pneumonia – similar to Covid – especially in young children, because we still don’t have the Covid vaccine for this age group.” Munoz said, adding that for unvaccinated people, there is a potential risk of getting infected with both the flu and the coronavirus.

“It appears that co-infection with Covid and other respiratory viruses, rhinovirus or RSV and Covid, for example, is common,” Munoz said. “Having two viruses at the same time brings young children to the hospital because they can develop viral pneumonia or complications from these infections.”

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