Experts worried about bad flu season mixed with COVID

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Twindemic fears are back. The one-two punch of both flu and COVID viruses circulating at once.

There was concern of this last year, but things this time around are different.

Last year, flu cases were mild because so many were social distancing, wearing masks and taking other preventative measures.

Now a lot of people have returned to in-person activities. People have begun taking off their masks, possibly due to receiving the COVID vaccine.

However, people should be reminded that we are currently in flu season, and the COVID vaccine will not protect from the flu.

Most of the time, flu activity peaks between December and February. A person infected with both COVID and the flu will likely to have a very rough time since each one attacks the lungs.

Health officials also said both can cause more severe illness in people with underlying medical conditions.

There is also the impact on public health as a high demand for care could potentially put a strain on emergency resources and hospital beds.

Some people think the flu vaccine can give you the flu, but medical experts say that is false.

“It’s a very common myth that people can become sick with flu from the flu vaccine,” Tina Claypool from UofL Health said. “Certainly someone can get ill or have some mild side effects from any vaccine and those side effects as many of us have learned as we have much more awareness of vaccines like body aches low grade temperature, fatigue, maybe some chills. That is our immune system reacting to response we want to achieve when we get a vaccine.”

There is no doubt that there is vaccine fatigue. Experts said if people resume ‘life as normal’ without masking and without getting flu shots or COVID shots, then we’re in for a tough winter.

The CDC reports 41 percent of adults have gotten a flu shot and 39 percent of children have as well. The numbers are significantly lower than the same point last year.

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