In Australia, the last two seasons of influenza have been officially missed, with an average of 163,015 influenza cases per year plummeting to just 598 cases by the end of 2021 with zero deaths.
Shortly before the CCP virus arrived in Australia, Australia’s National Notification Disease Surveillance System tracked 313,033 cases of influenza and 953 deaths confirmed in the laboratory in 2019.
However, in 2020, there were 21,266 cases and 37 deaths. 1/8 From the average for 5 years.
This figure fell further, with 484 cases and zero deaths at the end of the winter of 2021.
Australia’s latest influenza surveillance report “Influenza notifications have remained low since April 2020,” he said. “By 2021, they will remain at historically low levels.”
There is no evidence of influenza epidemics in the community or serious cases leading to hospitalization, but the Australian Immunotechnology Advisory Group (ATAGI) has urged Australians to vaccinate the flu and the flu season as winter approaches. Warns that can be serious.
“Influenza epidemiology may be unusual this year, especially in the context of COVID-19 and the resurgence of overseas travel,” ATAGI said in its latest statement in March.
“In some countries of the Northern Hemisphere, influenza and COVID-19 activity is skyrocketing at the same time. Vaccination is the most important means of preventing influenza and its complications.”
This is because the Australian Ministry of Health has changed its recommendations for co-administration of both the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines.
Last year’s advice was to wait at least 7 days between the flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
“Vaccination experts recommend waiting seven days before getting the flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Given this, it will be important to plan for both vaccinations.” ATAGI Guide from March 2021..
However, this advice was updated on February 25, 2022, with the recommendation that the influenza vaccine can be co-administered with the COVID-19 vaccine (ie, on the same day).
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd had some recommendations on how to combine both vaccines.
“My advice is to get one vaccine on one arm and the other on the other arm and find out which vaccine caused redness, swelling and discomfort in the event of side effects. That’s it, “he says. Said..
“So, when that time comes, get your flu shot. Of course, make sure your COVID-19 vaccination and boosters are up to date.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that a pandemic of the CCP virus has reduced visits to healthcare providers and subsequently reduced the number of people vaccinated against influenza and other illnesses. Alert From WHO.
In Australia, the flu vaccine rate dropped last year, with only 33.3% receiving the flu vaccine. About 80 percent of them are over 65 years old.
Meanwhile, studies in the Northern Hemisphere have found a potential causal link between influenza vaccination and some form of coronavirus infection.
A study An issue of the journal Vaccine, published January 10, 2020, found that people are more likely to get some form of coronavirus infection if they have been vaccinated against the flu.
“Vaccination with the flu may increase the risk of other respiratory viruses, a phenomenon known as viral interference,” the study found.
Seasonal influenza vaccination did not increase the risk of all respiratory infections, but in fact it was “significantly associated with an unspecified coronavirus.” Human metapneumovirus (hMPV10).
Furthermore, in October 2020, Data analysis Professor Christian Wehenkel, academic editor at PeerJ, discovered that “there is a positive link between COVID-19 mortality and influenza vaccination rates in the elderly worldwide.”
In other words, even the areas with the highest vaccination rates among the elderly had the highest COVID-19 mortality rates.
“Unexpectedly, the current global analysis and European sub-analysis do not support the previously reported negative association between COVID-19 mortality (DPMI). [COVID-19 deaths per million inhabitants] And IVR [influenza vaccination rate] In the elderly observed in studies in Brazil and Italy, “Wehenkel said.
“”The results showed that there was a positive association between COVID-19 deaths and IVR in people over the age of 65. Deaths from COVID-19 have increased significantly in the eastern and western regions of the world. Further investigation is needed to explain these findings, and additional studies on this series of studies may lead to the prevention of COVID-19-related deaths. “
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Jessie Zhang is a Sydney-based reporter with Australian news and a focus on health and the environment. Contact her at [email protected]