“Covid 19 will continue to pose a significant challenge to the authorities, but the low levels of residual immunity to influenza in the general population are worrying,” said Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to the UK’s Health Security Agency, stressing the specific danger of the H3N2 strain.
The expert expected that “influenza and other respiratory diseases will rebound this winter, after they were largely addressed through closures and social distancing during the Corona epidemic,” according to the British “Sky News” network.
Health agencies in Britain seek to predict what will happen in Europe with the end of summer and the approach of winter, so they monitor flu infection patterns in Australia, where the seasons have already changed, and the disease has spread significantly.
“Influenza and corona are unpredictable, but there are strong indications that we may be at risk of widespread flu,” Hopkins said. “Levels of natural immunity have decreased due to less mixing over the past three winters as the spread of COVID-19 has increased.”
“A lot of variables can weaken the immune response. This combination poses a serious risk to our health, especially in the most vulnerable groups,” the expert noted.
“The H3N2 flu strain can cause particularly severe illness. If you are elderly or weak for any other reason you are at greater risk, so getting a flu shot makes sense and could potentially save your life.”
“Children are unlikely to have any natural immunity to influenza, and therefore it is particularly important that they get a vaccine against this disease,” Hopkins explained.
In the same context, researchers warned of the risk of infection with corona and influenza at the same time, which is a possibility and has already been monitored.
Studies conducted early in the Corona epidemic showed that people who contract the flu and “Covid 19” at the same time, are twice as likely to die compared to those who only suffer from corona.