With everyone waiting with bated breath for a viable COVID-19 vaccine to be approved and subsequently produced, the flu vaccine has taken a backseat. However, this may prove to be a dangerous trend according to health professionals in Singapore.
Flu season usually approaches its peak in November and December and as the period, Singaporeans should take precautions and get the flu jab in advance. Infectious disease specialist at Farrer Park Hospital, Dr Lam Mun San, suggested that experts fear a “twindemic” as the 2020 comes to an end.
This seems to be a likely possibility, with COVID-19 infection rates remaining high despite more than 9 months having passed since the disease first reared its head.
Moreover, the twindemic could become a deadly threat according to a joint study by the Max Planck Institute in Germany and Pasteur institute in France. This is primarily because a person infected with influenza and COVID-19 would be doubly prone to transmitting COVID-19 when compared to a person who is only infected with COVID-19.
That is, while someone who is only COVID-19 positive could potentially infect two other persons, someone with both COVID-19 and the flu could pass the infection to four or five people. This could make a potential twindemic extremely difficult to contain and such an outbreak would mean that infection, along with morbidity rates would skyrocket.
Dr Lam provides a more local perspective on why keeping up-to-date with your flu vaccination very important during the pandemic.
“There will be a challenge to distinguish flu symptoms from COVID symptoms as both diseases circulate simultaneously. Getting flu shots will hopefully reduce the background noise,” she said.
Not only will this help medical professionals to more accurately diagnose COVID-19 in the local population and allow patients to receive more effective care, it will also reduce the burden on healthcare facilities in Singapore.
lsolation as well as hospital beds can be saved for COVID-19 cases and those who are more seriously ill and the number of testing kits being used daily can also be reduced.
While the influenza vaccine is already on the list of the National Adult Immunisation Scheme’s recommended vaccines, the uptake of the vaccine has declined significantly this year due to the implementation of the circuit breaker as well as due to COVID-19 overshadowing a potential flu outbreak.
Clinical lead for the Infection Prevention and Infectious Disease Workgroup at SingHealth Polyclinics, Dr Mark Ng, went on to explain that Singapore’s high population density made it even more vulnerable to a flu epidemic.
This, combined with the existing COVID-19 pandemic, would be sure to put a strain on healthcare facilities and professionals and devastate the population in Singapore.
Keep yourself up-to-date on the latest influenza vaccine. The latest Northern Hemisphere quadrivalent influenza jab is now available at Clari Health. Book your appointment online, through e-mail at mparam@clarihealth.com, or by calling us at 8754 4101.
