Don’t wait and don’t take risks: how can the flu vaccine protect you from corona?
The global medical community is very concerned about the 2020-2021 flu season, in light of the global corona outbreak. The number of patients and deaths from the two diseases together may be very high, coming with a heavy price and burdening health systems around the world to the point of collapse. While the race for the development and approval of a vaccine for corona continues, the seasonal flu vaccine is already here, and is the only hope to reduce the expected danger
Every year, seasonal flu becomes more and more dangerous. In the United States alone, 38 million Americans fell ill in the last flu season (2019-2020) and 22,000 of them died. That’s why the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) recommends an annual flu vaccination as the most effective way to prevent becoming ill. Immunization against flu is extremely critical and has serious health and economic effects, especially in light of the Israeli government’s intention to require all influenza patients to be tested for corona and go into isolation!
What is the connection between the flu and corona?
The two diseases, influenza and corona, are contagious respiratory diseases with similar characteristics. However, corona, which is caused by infection with the Covid-19 virus, spreads faster and usually causes more serious illness than the flu, which is transmitted through the influenza virus. The symptoms of the two diseases are also similar and include fever, cough, muscle aches and more. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish between the two diseases without carrying out a test. What’s more, infection with one of these diseases weakens the body and the immune system, putting the patient at increased risk of developing other diseases, including of course the flu and corona.
Against this background, there is a growing tendency in Israel for both medical and political figures to declare all flu patients this coming winter to be potential corona patients, and require them to have a corona test and spend time in isolation. The goal is to prevent double infection, reduce the number of patients of each of the illnesses, reduce potential mortality and the expected burden on the health system, which is already struggling to provide the proper treatment to the large number of corona patients.
Want to protect yourself and your family from the double risk of infection? From having to go into isolation? It’s in your hands! Get vaccinated against the flu today, significantly reduce your chances of infection, and help the national effort against the outbreak of corona!
The 2020-2021 flu vaccine is available to you right now
The American CDC predicts that both corona and the flu will spread very significantly in the coming fall and winter. Beyond the personal risk for each of us, this forecast has significant social, health and economic implications. The health care system will not be able to cope with the high morbidity rates of the two diseases simultaneously, the lockdowns and isolations will continue to be a necessity of our reality, and our economy, which is already facing a steep incline back to recovery, is likely to be irreparably damaged in the coming years. Therefore, the flu vaccination is important not only at the individual level, but also at the family, community and state level.
Efforts are underway around the world to find a vaccine for corona that will be proven safe for human use. Although there have been significant developments, it is not yet known when such a vaccine which will come into use in the near future. Therefore, the only way to deal with the corona is still to prevent infection and its spread: wearing a mask, maintaining social distance, maintaining hygiene and isolating if necessary.
In contrast, the flu vaccine is already here and you can be vaccinated immediately! The recommendation is to get vaccinated as early as possible, to allow the body to develop antibodies against the influenza virus (a process that takes about two to three weeks) before the major flu outbreak arrives.
Want to protect yourself? Don’t hesitate – contact us at MedAssist Medical Experts to get all the necessary information, and to arrange a date for your private flu vaccination!
Who should get vaccinated?
The CDC’s recommendation is to vaccinate the entire population from the age of six months and up, with special emphasis on populations at increased risk of developing complications and dying from influenza. Risk groups include children up to the age of 12 and adults over the age of 65, pregnant women and chronic disease patients. HMOs give these groups priority in receiving the vaccine, based on conservative national planning and taking into account the limited number of vaccines available.
However, the flu vaccine is also available privately. MedAssist makes it possible to get vaccinated against the flu at a private clinic, without delays and without the risk of infection typical of public clinics that are full of patients. The vaccine can even be given in the privacy of your own home or office, by nurses who will come to you and perform the vaccination in the most professional, safe and convenient way possible.
Everything you need to know about the flu vaccine by MedAssist
Here is all the important information you should know about the flu vaccine we use at MedAssist Medical Experts:
- The vaccine is called Influvac Tetra, and has been developed and manufactured by Dutch company, Abbott Biologicals B.V.
- It complies with the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the guidelines of the European Union (EU).
- The vaccine is based on inactivated proteins found on the surface of the influenza virus.
- It provides high-probability of protection against complications of four different flu strains, at the same time.
- The vaccine is delivered via injection.
- It is valid until June 2021.
- Antibodies are developed in the body in response to the vaccine after 2-3 weeks.
- It is safe for use in pregnant women, at all stages of pregnancy, and in breastfeeding women.
In conclusion, if the predictions of the various health organizations around the world regarding the expected incidence of corona and influenza disease come true, the winter of 2020-2021 will probably be remembered for generations to come. Information about corona continues to accumulate, but a vaccine is not yet available. In contrast, the flu vaccine does exist, and you can be vaccinated quickly and easily.
The smartest and most responsible thing we can all do at this point is to get vaccinated against the flu right now, and continue to adhere to prevention guidelines, including wearing a mask, social distancing and maximum hygiene, which will protect against the spread of both diseases simultaneously.
