Record numbers offered flu vaccine as those with flu and COVID-19 more likely to die
Senior medics are calling on all eligible people to get vaccinated against flu, as new research suggests the risk of death more than doubled for people who tested positive for both flu and COVID-19, compared to those with COVID-19 alone.
Source:
Public Health England
SPS commentary:
A study conducted by Public Health England (published early online, not yet peer reviewed) found that patients co-infected with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza had a risk of death 5.92 (95% CI 3.21-10.91) times greater than those without influenza or SARS-CoV-2. The requirement for ventilator use or death and ICU admission or death was also raised in those co-infected, suggesting an interaction effect. The authors suggest that testing for influenza should be implemented alongside SARS-CoV-2 testing, and that influenza vaccination uptake should be maximised to mitigate these risks.