It’s a double whammy that public health experts across the country had indicated could happen.
The ongoing pandemic outbreak has overlapped with the annual Northern Hemisphere influenza season.
Military medical treatment facilities like Naval Hospital Bremerton/Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Bremerton in Washington are at the fore to help eradicate the pandemic as well as prevent and protect patients from the flu.
Defense Health Agency officials had indicated in early December 2020, that Influenza-Like-Illness (ILI) does tend to peak during the winter months, which has been the case in the Pacific Northwest the last few years.
The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended in October, 2020, that 65% of adults and children be vaccinated against the flu because of the potential simultaneous demand on healthcare systems due to COVID-19 and the flu. In recognition of that goal, DHA established a goal to meet or exceed the 65% flu vaccination rate toward the end of December2020.
Towards that goal, NMRTC Bremerton continues to provide flu vaccinations to all eligible beneficiaries, along with following the Department of Defense distribution plan for administering the COVID-19 vaccine to all active duty and reserve components, TRICARE Prime and TRICARE SelectTRICARE Select is a self-managed, preferred provider network plan. TRICARE Select is a fee-for-service option in the United States that allows you to get care from any TRICARE-authorized provider. Enrollment is required to participate.TRICARE Select beneficiaries, and select DOD civilians and contract personnel authorized to receive immunizations from DOD.
During NMRTC Bremerton’s 2020-2021 seasonal influenza campaign, over 2,250 flu shots were administered, including a staff pandemic influenza drill that immunized approximately 750 staff members in less than 72 hours. A weeklong clinic inoculated more than 2,000 patients, and preventive medicine personnel conducted workplace flu clinics for several tenant shore commands in the region.
Yet there are still those who have not received their flu shot, as well as those who have not voluntarily been administered the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to NMRTC Bremerton public health experts, even if someone has neglected to get their flu shot, they still have the opportunity to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“There is not a contraindication to receiving a COVID and Influenza vaccine at the same time per DHA guidance. However, we recommend at least three days of separation between the two to ensure side effects of flu vaccine are not confused with side effects of the COVID vaccine, or vice versa,” explained Dr. Dan Frederick, NHB/NMRTC Bremerton population health officer and public health emergency officer.
Frederick noted that healthcare workers in any hospital setting are considered to be at high risk of becoming infected with influenza and passing the infection to others, a similar concern with the COVID-19 virus.
“We strongly encourage everyone to get the flu vaccine. It’s now more important than ever due to the ongoing pandemic,” said Frederick, echoing CDC concerns.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 and influenza are both contagious respiratory illnesses, albeit each caused by infection from a different virus.
Influenza viruses cause mild to severe illness, whereas COVID-19 has caused serious illness in many, resulting in more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. It can also take longer for someone to show they actually have symptoms of COVID-19.
Similar symptoms between the two include fever and/or chills, shortness of breath or difficult breathing, fatigue, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, muscle pain/body ache, headache, and even vomiting/diarrhea.
It also can take at least one or more days after someone is infected by either virus to begin to experience any illness symptoms mentioned above. While it usually takes longer for COVID-19 symptoms to develop.
There’s similarities in even unintentionally sharing either viruses. For both, it’s possible to spread the virus during a 24-hour period before experiencing any symptoms, even longer for someone with COVID-19.