The event was even more fitting this year as it’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both spread this season. Healthcare systems could be overwhelmed treating both patients with flu and patients with COVID-19. This means getting a flu vaccine during 2020-2021 is more important than ever.
While getting a flu vaccine will not protect against COVID-19, there are many important benefits, such as:
The main purpose of seasonal influenza vaccination is to avoid severe disease from infection with influenza virus. Currently, 39 countries and territories in the Americas offer influenza vaccination to nationally-defined high-risk groups.
PAHO's Technical Advisory Group on Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (TAG) recommends that the following groups of individuals may be targeted for vaccination in order to reduce the incidence of severe illness and premature death: pregnant women, children between 6 months to 5 years, elderly individuals, individuals with chronic medical conditions, and healthcare workers.
Seasonal influenza is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, cough (usually dry), headache, muscle and joint pain, severe malaise (feeling unwell), sore throat and a runny nose. The cough can be severe and can last 2 or more weeks. Most people recover from fever and other symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention. But influenza can cause severe illness or death especially in people at high risk.
