Can you get COVID and flu at the same time? What to know this influenza season
With summer in the rearview mirror, health officials are urging people to get vaccinated against the flu.
But is there a chance you could contract an influenza virus along with the coronavirus — and what are the risks if you do?
Although both COVID-19 and the flu were spreading last year, influenza activity was “unusually low” compared to previous seasons. Experts say coronavirus preventive measures such as mask wearing, school closures, reduced travel and physical distancing likely reduced flu spread.
This year is different. The same protective practices are mostly optional now that COVID-19 vaccines are in the mix, meaning influenza viruses have more opportunities to hop from person to person. And this time, the delta coronavirus variant, which is more contagious and appears to cause more severe disease, is spreading.
The timing of this year’s influenza season is difficult to predict, and can vary depending on where you live. Scientists usually estimate what an upcoming flu season will look like based on data from the previous year, but they don’t have much information to offer any predictions for the 2021-2022 season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the upcoming influenza season could arrive earlier and be more severe than usual because not as many people acquired immunity last year.
Can you get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time?
What experts do know is that you can get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time. However, researchers are still studying how common double infection is. Because the coronavirus is still a “relatively new illness,” the CDC says there’s little information about how getting the flu might affect a person’s risk of contracting COVID-19.
Doctors are certain about one thing: Infection with both viruses at the same time isn’t fun, and can be dangerous.
“The odds of a double whammy are definitely going to increase,” Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, a physician in California, told CNN. “The fever may be worse. The shortness of breath may be worse. The loss of smell and taste could be worse. And on top of all that, it could last longer.”
Infection with just one of the viruses can weaken your immune system enough to make you more likely to catch the other. And once you’re infected with both, the immune system goes into overdrive, making it harder for your body to fight off the invaders as it should.
“If you get hit with a hammer, it will hurt. But if you already have a broken leg and get hit with a hammer again, it will hurt more,” Rodriguez said of double infection with COVID-19 and the flu. “And it will take longer to heal.”
COVID-19 and the flu can both cause fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle pain, diarrhea, headache, sore throat, fatigue and nausea, according to the CDC. They both can also result in serious complications, including pneumonia, respiratory failure, sepsis, heart injury, multiple organ failure and secondary infections.
Vaccines can lower your chances of double infection with coronavirus and flu
Doctors say vaccination is the best tool in the fight against double infection this influenza season. You can receive both your flu shot and coronavirus vaccine at the same time. You can also get a COVID-19 booster dose, if eligible, simultaneously with your flu shot.
And the sooner the better.
“You don’t want to wait till you hear there’s a lot of flu in your community to go get your [flu] vaccine,” especially if the coronavirus is running rampant, too, Dr. David Weber, member of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and epidemiology professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, told McClatchy News. “The last thing you want to do is get COVID-19 and another viral respiratory disease at the same time.”
Flu specialist Dr. Richard Webby of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee told the Associated Press that while “people are sick to death of hearing about having to roll on out and get vaccines of any sort… it makes absolute sense to go on out and get that vaccine and at least prepare for something that, you know, could be quite severe.”
He added: “We probably as a population don’t have as much immunity against this virus as we typically might.”
The CDC says September and October are “generally good times” to get your flu shot, but strongly advise receiving it by the end of October. That’s because it takes about two weeks for your body to develop enough antibodies against the influenza viruses spreading during the season.
Any time before then increases the chances your immunity wanes over time. Flu season typically runs from October to May.
The flu shot is not designed to protect against COVID-19, and the COVID-19 vaccine is not meant to lessen your chances of catching the flu. The flu is caused by one of the many influenza viruses spreading during a given year, while COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus).
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 2:01 PM with the headline "Can you get COVID and flu at the same time? What to know this influenza season."
