Is a ‘twindemic’ on the horizon? specialists warn of brutal flu season as COVID-19 still spreads. here are eight things to find out about getting your flu shot.

© Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune Pharmacy manager Valentina Danilovski administers a flu shot to Diane Sindermann, 73, on Sept. 24, 2020, in the parking zone of a Jewel-Osco in Highland Park.

medical specialists warn the coming near flu season may be specially severe, renewing fears of a possible "twindemic," with COVID-19 nevertheless spreading within the Chicago enviornment and throughout the country.

In practise, health officials are urging the public to get vaccinated towards the flu as quickly as possible. here are eight issues to understand concerning the upcoming flu season and getting your annual flu shot all over the pandemic:

1. After a profoundly gentle flu season ultimate 12 months, this one may be tough.

Influenza was at checklist low tiers ultimate year across the us, basically as a result of overlaying and social distance protocols amid the pandemic.

however that potential many individuals weren't uncovered to the flu ultimate season and didn't be able to raise their immunity. on the same time, some pandemic restrictions had been loosened or dropped, but COVID-19 is still circulating, pointed out Dr. Jacqueline Korpics, the cook County department of Public health's medical director for COVID-19.

"there is situation this should be an in particular unhealthy flu season due to loosening of mitigations, the proven fact that many people have been no longer exposed last year because of COVID mitigations and since influenza may be circulating simultaneously with COVID," she pointed out. "So individuals may doubtlessly get each at the equal time, which may lead to extra extreme illness and more deaths."

The contemporary surge in native instances of an extra respiratory illness — respiratory syncytial virus or RSV — might also be a harbinger of an impending unhealthy flu season, pointed out Dr. Kelly Michelson, professor of pediatrics and director of the middle for Bioethics and scientific Humanities at Northwestern college's Feinberg college of medication.

"If flu behaves like RSV, we may still put together for a lot of ailment," she stated.

2. now is a pretty good time to get the flu shot.

Ideally, every person could be vaccinated against the flu with the aid of the conclusion of October, based on the centers for sickness control and Prevention.

Korpics observed September — now — is a great time to get vaccinated against influenza.

"Don't wait," she observed.

Michelson agreed.

"Flu vaccines are currently attainable," she spoke of. "Go get your annual flu vaccine now."

3. The COVID-19 shot and flu vaccine can be administered at the equal time.

"that you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and different vaccines on the identical seek advice from," the CDC says on its web site. "You not need to wait 14 days between vaccinations."

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The company provides that aspect outcomes after COVID-19 vaccination are often the same when given by myself or with different immunizations.

"that you could get (vaccines) on the same day," Korpics spoke of. "We desire you to be blanketed and to offer protection to those round you who are mainly liable to influenza and COVID. Don't let yourself or those round you suffer from a preventable sickness. each vaccines are protected and, in normal, there are few individuals with contraindications to either vaccine."

4. It's essential to get these vaccines to guard yourself — and to aid those that can't get vaccinated.

despite the fact infants under 12 can't get the COVID-19 vaccine yet, most can get immunized in opposition t the flu, and health experts say it's important to give protection to them against any virus feasible to minimize advantage disease all over the pandemic.

For these over 12, it's essential to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu, to retain each ailments to a minimal.

"Please get vaccinated for the flu and COVID-19 — please," Michelson mentioned. "it's essential for you, for the children and for every person."

She added that babies under 6 months historic can't get flu shots, so it's vital that adults and youngsters accomplish that to aid retain babies healthy.

"So the more adults who get vaccinated, the less probably it can be for susceptible little ones below 6 months to get the flu," she said. "So another excuse why everybody may still get vaccinated is to help give protection to toddlers (beneath) 6 months historic."

5. Flu vaccines are mainly important this season to keep from overwhelming hospitals.

in many materials of the nation, hospitals are already overwhelmed with COVID-19 sufferers. The southernmost area in Illinois this week reported no available ICU beds as a result of surging COVID-19 prices.

"we are hearing studies that individuals aren't in a position to get the care they want," Michelson noted. "anything else we are able to do to retain americans out of the hospital can be advantageous. here is one more crucial explanation for individuals to get the flu vaccine."

6. Flu vaccination rates are often not that wonderful.

Fewer than half of american adults customarily get the flu shot each yr, in accordance with the country wide foundation for Infectious ailments. The nonprofit corporation commissioned a survey final 12 months, and found that 59% of adults polled planned to get the influenza vaccine throughout the 2020-2021 flu season, an increase from fifty two% the outdated 12 months.

Of people who have been doubtful or not planning to get vaccinated, 34% didn't believe the flu vaccine worked well, 32% talked about they certainly not acquired the flu, 29% had been involved about abilities facet consequences and 22% observed they were concerned about catching the flu from the immunization — notwithstanding that's not viable. Flu photographs are crafted from both the inactivated virus or a single protein from the virus, and cannot cause illness, in line with the CDC.

7. There's been a spotlight on vaccines — and vaccine hesitancy — all through the pandemic, however experts aren't bound how this might have an effect on flu shot uptake this season.

"i can handiest hope it is going to encourage extra people to get vaccinated in opposition t influenza," Korpics noted. "Influenza, like COVID, is a preventable sickness as a result of our potential to vaccinate. As a doctor, it's particularly sad to see patients who come to the medical institution and die from influenza or COVID, which could have been averted with the aid of the vaccine."

She referred to that even sufferers who get the flu or COVID-19 after vaccination frequently have a much greater mild disease and are nevertheless blanketed from hospitalization, extreme ailment and demise.

Michelson referred to an April study within the journal JMIR Public fitness and Surveillance that discovered amongst a sample of people in the uk that "COVID-19 has increased acceptance of influenza vaccination in in the past eligible however unvaccinated people and has encouraged substantial uptake in newly eligible people."

however she delivered the caveat that the United Kingdom has a special inhabitants and lifestyle than the united states, so it's tough to forecast how many people will get the flu shot here this season.

"I definitely consider here's tough to foretell," she noted. "i hope that americans will recognise that COVID vaccines are actually saving thousands and thousands of lives each day and that flu vaccines can do the equal."

eight. while it's hard to inform the flu and COVID-19 aside, there are some variations in symptoms.

lack of taste or scent, for example, is regularly associated with COVID-19 however unlikely with the flu, health specialists say. but physique aches, fevers, headaches and fatigue are indicators of both viruses. health officials suggest getting tested for COVID-19 whenever symptomatic.

eleventis@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @angie_leventis