Get a Flu Vaccine to minimize COVID19 effect | Flattening the curve

Last updated on September 25th, 2020 at 12:07 pm

Coronavirus is spreading across the globe and health care providers are urging people not to take it for granted. Across Europe and Asia, hospitals are overwhelmed and crowded. Lack of health care providers, testing kits, hospital spaces, among others, is causing the situation to be more helpless. The successful trial and implementation of a potential vaccine against coronavirus may take a considerable amount of time. Every person should be willing to take precautionary steps such as washing their hands, avoiding social gatherings, social distancing.

Apart from that, we need to be aware of the symptoms of coronavirus. There are other virus-related diseases such as Influenza (the flu) that have overlapping symptoms with COVID-19. Symptoms such as high fever, cough, body aches, and fatigue are some of the overlapping symptoms of both infections. These similarities can cause confusion, distress, and panic among patients. People coming down with flu can misunderstand their signs and symptoms with COVID-19. These misunderstandings play a negative role not only to the patients and their families but also to the hospital and healthcare providers. 

Unlike COVID-19, flu has an effective vaccine. It is very clear to the scientific and medical communities that two entirely different viruses cause the flu and COVID-19. A flu shot (flu vaccine) cannot cure COVID-19, but still, there are benefits of getting a flu shot.

According to Dr. Albert Ko, a professor and department chair at the Yale School of Public Health, getting a flu shot will lower the number of people who show overlapping symptoms.

This aids in eliminating cases of flu from COVID-19.

According to WHO, vaccines against respiratory illness (pneumonia) is highly recommended to protect your health.

It is advised that people should get flu shots for various reasons like:

• People mistaking their flu symptoms with COVID-19 increases anxiety, distress, and mental pressure of the patients and families. If you only have the flu, flu shots will take care of all the symptoms related to the flu virus. This avoids confusion.
• It helps to decrease the flow of flu patients to the hospital, which gives the healthcare provider enough time to concentrate on people with COVID-19.
• Vaccinating a child with flu shot helps to protect older people from getting the flu. 
• Getting a flu shot will help boost your immune system.