Home » Health » “The protective reflexes acquired during Covid are also valid against the flu”, recalls a professor of virology

“The protective reflexes acquired during Covid are also valid against the flu”, recalls a professor of virology

Will the flu return this winter? Like the health authorities, on Friday 7 October on franceinfo the professor of virology at the university hospital of Lyon, Bruno Lina, is worried that the flu virus is circulating “more easily and more intensely” this winter due to a “herd immunity” less efficient. Requires use “protective reflexes acquired during Covid”.

franceinfo: Why are we worried today about the return of the flu this winter?

Bruno Lina: We have no indicators that allow us to know if there will be an epidemic this winter. On the other hand, we know that the circulation of all respiratory viruses has been turned upside down by the coronavirus. However, there is normally an outbreak every year with the flu virus. In the previous two winters, these epidemics did not occur. And one of the hypotheses that should lead us to think is that a flu epidemic is kept under control when there is collective immunity acquired from the regular circulation of the virus. So the question we ask ourselves: since the circulation of the flu has decreased in the last two winters, our protection system is less good and the virus will circulate more easily and more intensely ??

Does this mean that the flu will only affect the most vulnerable or will it be just as bad in healthy people?

We are simply talking about a series of cases. Obviously, the most fragile are always the most vulnerable. These people have a high inherent risk. As the number of infected is likely to be greater, there will also be a greater number of severe forms.

“We must therefore adopt a series of measures to avoid all this. Already saying that all the reflexes we have acquired with Covid are also valid for the prevention against the flu virus”.

Bruno Lina, professor of virology

to franceinfo

The vaccination, which will begin on October 18, is a pillar in the fight against severe flu. Without forgetting the ventilation of closed places, good hand hygiene and not going to see others when you are sick. I know it’s always a little tricky to tell people to wear a mask.

And can we get the flu shot at the same time as the Covid one?

Yes, there are no contraindications. You can do both at the same time. One on each arm. If you don’t want to do them on the same day, you can space them out. It’s up to you: there is no interaction between the two vaccines. Above all, risk groups such as those over 60 and over 80 should be vaccinated against the flu and coronavirus.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.