Remember the flu? In light of another respiratory illness that’s dominated the news over the past year (more on that in a second), the flu might seem like a much lesser problem to everyday Americans. But don’t underestimate the flu—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the 2019–2020 season saw somewhere between 39 million and 56 million cases across the United States, resulting in somewhere between 24,000 and 62,000 deaths. (The CDC provides these numbers in ranges, as the flu is not a reportable disease in some parts of the country.)
With a new flu season approaching this fall, it’s time to start considering healthy practices to protect yourself, particularly if COVID-19 makes a resurgence at the same time, as Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, has suggested it could. Last year’s flu season was coming to an end around the time the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March (the CDC defines flu season as starting in October, peaking in February, and coming to an end usually by March or April). So if COVID-19 does, indeed, make a resurgence, this will be the first time the flu virus and the novel 2019 coronavirus are widespread at the same time.
Two Viruses at Once?
Fighting a surge in flu cases and COVID-19 cases could prove a challenge for health care systems, but the good news is that many of the precautions people should take to prevent one respiratory illness can also help prevent the other.
Like the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, influenza viruses are transmitted through respiratory droplets that people expel when they cough, sneeze, talk, or even breathe. Because these respiratory droplets don’t stay airborne for more than six feet, keeping a safe distance away from others can go a long way in ensuring a virus doesn’t pass from person to person.
In addition to avoiding close contact with others, the CDC recommends washing your hands regularly, disinfecting any frequently touched surfaces, and not touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Does One Affect the Other?
It’s scary enough to think coronavirus and the flu could be circulating at the same time—but can you be infected with both? While there was a widespread misconception in the early days of the pandemic that people who tested positive for COVID-19 were unlikely to have another type of viral respiratory disease, a study released by the Stanford School of Medicine in late March showed that one in five people diagnosed with COVID-19 are also infected with another common respiratory virus, such as the flu, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, adenovirus, or pneumonia.
So, yes—a person can catch the flu and COVID-19 at the same time.
This Makes the Flu Shot Even More Important.
Although no vaccine is currently available for COVID-19, the World Health Organization reports that there are more than 20 vaccines currently in development. The flu, on the other hand, does have a vaccination available. In fact, the CDC states that a flu shot is the single best way to prevent the flu. The CDC encourages everyone over six months of age to get vaccinated, and September is an ideal time because it is several weeks ahead of flu season’s start in October. Many insurance plans cover the annual vaccination, and it can be administered at most doctor’s offices, clinics, health departments, college health centers, and pharmacies.
Because of the unpredictability surrounding a second wave of COVID-19 during flu season, it’s best to seek out the latest information from either the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov or the World Health Organization at www.who.int.
