Flu shot linked to fewer, less severe COVID-19 cases

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In a new study, researchers found that people who received a flu shot last flu season were much less likely to test positive for a COVID-19 infection when the pandemic hit.

And those who did test positive for COVID-19 had fewer complications if they received their flu shot.

The research was conducted by a team at Michigan Medicine.

In the study, the team reviewed medical charts for more than 27,000 patients who were tested for a COVID-19 infection at Michigan Medicine between March and mid-July of 2020.

Of the nearly 13,000 who got a flu shot in the previous year, 4% tested positive for COVID-19. Of the 14,000 who hadn’t gotten a flu shot, nearly 5% tested positive for COVID-19.

People who received their flu shot were also much less likely to require hospitalization. No one in the study tested positive for both infections at the same time.

The underlying mechanism behind the association isn’t yet clear.

The team says it is possible that patients who receive their flu vaccine are also people who are practicing more social distancing and following CDC guidelines.

However, it is also plausible that there could be a direct biological effect of the flu vaccine on the immune system relevant for the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The researchers say their study provides more confidence that getting your flu shot is associated with staying out of the hospital for COVID-19.

There are robust data that the flu shot prevents heart attack and hospitalizations for heart failure, which is an additional reason to get your vaccine every flu season.

The study is published in the American Journal of Infection Control.  One author of the study is Marion Hofmann Bowman, M.D.

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