ADVICE ON NAVIGATING THE FLU
SEASON.
>> SOME DOCTORS ARE CALLING THE
UPCOMING FLU SEASON A TWINDEMIC
AND AS FLU SEASON STARTS THE
COUNTRY IS GRAPPLING WITH THE
SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES DRIVE
ESPECIALLY BY THE DELTA VARIANT.
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT HOW TO
PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST THE FLU
IS Dr. LISA RAVINDRA PRIMARY
CARE PHYSICIAN WITH RUSH
UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON.
>> THERE WERE CONCERNS LAST YEAR
ABOUT A TWINDEMIC AND IT DID NOT
MATERIALIZE WITH THE FLU.
WHY NOT?
>> THAT IS WE FIRST STARTED
HEARING ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF A
TWINDEMIC LAST FALL AND THE
CONCERN THAT ON TOP OF THE
BURDEN THAT COVID WAS PUTTING ON
OUR MEDICAL SYSTEM THAT WE WERE
WORRIED ABOUT FLU ALSO BURDENING
FURTHER THE HOSPITALS.
IT DIDN'T PAN OUT.
WHICH IS A GOOD THING BUT I
THINK THERE IS A LOT OF REASONS
WHY THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN LAST
YEAR.
WE WERE UNDER STRICTER COVID
MEASURES TO MITIGATE COVID.
PEOPLE WERE MASKING.
PEOPLE WERE NOT GOING TO SCHOOL
AND WORK LIKE THEY ARE NOW.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE GOT THE FLU
VACCINE MORE PEOPLE THAN USUAL
GOT THE FLU VACCINE LAST YEAR.
A LOT OF MY PATIENTS ARE EAGER
IN GETTING THE VACCINE BEFORE I
WOULD BRING IT UP KNOWING THAT
THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE BOTH
ILLNESSES BE AN ISSUE IN THE
WINTER.
>> A LOT OF FACTORS.
WHAT ARE DOCTORS PREDICTING FOR
THIS UP COMING FLU SEASON NOTING
THAT KIDS BY AND LARGE ARE BACK
IN SCHOOL?
>> THE FLU SEASON IS NOTORIOUSLY
HARD TO PREDICT.
WE HAVE TO FIND OUT.
I'M HOPING OUR WARNINGS LAST
YEAR WERE ABLE TO CONVINCE
PEOPLE TO GET THE FLU SHOT AND
THIS YEAR WE'LL DO THE SAME.
BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S
SEVERAL MODELS PREDICTING A
SEVERE FLU SEASON AND THAT IS
BECAUSE KIDS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL.
PEOPLE ARE NOT MASKS AS MUCH ARE
NOT DOING THE SAME MEASURES.
BUT ALSO FOR A FEW DIFFERENT
REASONS.
USUALLY EVEN IF PEOPLE AREN'T --
DON'T GET SYMPTOMS FROM THE FLU
THEY ARE EXPOSED TO THE FLU AT
SOME POINT DURING THE FLU SEASON
AND DEVELOP SOME ANTIBODIES THAT
CARRY OVER INTO THE NEXT SEASON.
BUT SINCE THERE WAS NO FLU
CIRCULATING LAST YEAR MOST
PEOPLE DID NOT GET EXPOSED THEIR
IMMUNITY LEVEL ANTIBODY LEVEL IS
GOING TO BE LOWER AND HAVE OLDER
ANTIBODIES THAT MAY NOT BE ABLE
TO FIGHT IT.
>> THE DOWNSIDES OF NOT HAVING A
ROBUST FLU SEASON AND KIDS ARE
VECTORS OF THE FLU.
DOES IT STAND TO REASON IF THEY
ARE BACK IN SCHOOL AND IN TIGHT
QUARTERS, THEY MIGHT SPREAD THE
FLU TO THE GENERAL POPULATION?
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.
AND IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT FOR
ANYBODY OVER THE AIMING OF SIX
MONTHS, CHILDREN INCLUDED TO GET
THE FLU VACCINE.
AND I SAY START GET TO GO NOW.
WE GOT FLU VACCINE TO MY OFFICE
AND I'M ADVISING MY PATIENTS TO
GET VACCINATED AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE.
THERE IS NO REASON TO WAIT.
SO DO IT NOW.
>> WHAT ABOUT CONCERNS FROM
PEOPLE THAT TOOK THE COVID-19
VACCINE AND WONDER IS IT SAFE TO
TAKE THE FLU VACCINE IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY?
>> YES.
SO INITIALLY WHEN THE COVID
VACCINE CAME OUT LAST WINTER WE
WERE ADVISING PATIENTS TO WAIT
14-DAYS BETWEEN GETTING ANY
OTHER IMMUNIZATIONS.
BUT THAT RECOMMENDATION IS NOT
ON NOW.
IT'S SAFE TO GET THE FLU SHOT
AND THE COVID-19 VACCINE
ALTOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME.
SAME DAY.
THERE IS NO REASON TO SPACE THEM
OUT.
SO IF SOMEBODY IS ELIGIBLE FOR
THE BOOSTER SHOT, OR THE THIRD
SHOT, I RECOMMEND GETTING
EVERYTHING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
>> GOING BACK TO YOU'RE SAYING
MODELS ARE PREDICTING A HEAVY
FLU SEASON BEYOND KIDS BEING IN
SCHOOL, NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING AS
MUCH WHAT ARE THE OTHER FACTORS
THAT GO INTO THAT MODELING?
>> IN YEARS PAST WE'VE LOOKED AT
THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRALIA TO SEE
HOW THEIR FLU SEASON WENT.
THEIR'S IS JUST ENDING NOW.
THEY HAD A LIGHT SEASON AGAIN
THIS YEAR.
BUT THEY ARE ALSO MUCH MORE
STRICT ABOUT COVID MEASURES AND
NOT THEIR BORDERS ARE MOSTLY
CLOSED.
I DON'T THINK WE CAN BASE IT ON
THEIR MODEL BECAUSE WE'RE
FUNCTIONING DIFFERENTLY IN OUR
COUNTRY.
THERE IS A LOT OF FACTORS THAT
GO INTO IT.
A LOT OF TIMES WE USE THE
STRAINS FROM PREVIOUS SEASONS TO
PREDICT STRAINS OF THE FLU THIS
YEAR BUT IT'S HARDER WHEN THE
FLU WAS SO LIGHT LAST YEAR.
>> A LOT OF THINGS FOR PARENTS