Cardiologists Should Prioritize Influenza Vaccination Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
Influenza vaccination essential to managing heart disease and reducing strain on U.S. healthcare resources
Vaccinating patients against the flu can go a long way to helping cardiology patients stay healthy and out of the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, freeing up beds for COVID patients. Left photo, Getty Images, right image of COVID-19 virus from the NIH.
While influenza (flu) is unpredictable, the 2020-2021 influenza season may present an unprecedented dual threat: co-circulation of influenza and the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19, and the resulting increased burden on the U.S. healthcare system. As people increasingly congregate indoors during inclement winter weather, there is growing concern that the co-circulating respiratory viruses could culminate in an even larger public health crisis particularly for the 150 million adults living with heart disease and other chr
Back to Healio
We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.
Back to Healio
According to the CDC, influenza activity this season has been “unusually low,” with rates of hospitalization as of late January that were similar to 2011-2012 the least severe season in the past decade.
According to experts, preventive measures to control COVID-19 transmission are the reason why. Paul D. Biddinger, MD, director of the Center for Disaster Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, said flu almost went away and almost overnight after COVID-19 mitigation measures were put in place last year.
Just 37% of the 600 doctors, nurses and support staff at Roseland Community Hospital have been vaccinated even though health care workers are first in line. Many holdouts come from the mostly Black, working class neighborhoods surrounding the hospital, areas hard hit by the virus yet plagued with vaccine reluctance.
The irony hasn t escaped organizers of a vaccination campaign at the 110-bed hospital, which until recently was overflowing with coronavirus patients. If seeing COVID-19 up close and personal isn t enough to persuade people to get vaccinated, what will?
The resistance confounds Dr. Tunji Ladipo, an emergency room physician who has seen the disease devastate countless patients and their families, and frequently works side by side with unvaccinated colleagues.
There aren't any major concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccines given rigorous trials and testing, but there are noted temporary side effects. Here's what symptoms you should look out for after your coronavirus vaccine.
Additionally, there are three other variants that have been flagged for being able to spread too rapidly, according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and scientists are worried these strains may mutate further to impact vaccination efforts, CNN reports. But the variant first traced to South Africa has already shown signs that it may push past any immunity granted to people, either because they ve already been sick or have received a vaccine. These variants are getting smarter; they re just adapting to be able to grow better in humans… even without having to adapt to the vaccine, says