An urgent call to action has been issued for Australians to receive their flu vaccinations, as a prominent medical expert cautions that Covid-19 vaccines provide minimal protection against influenza.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic’s ongoing presence, influenza has slipped into the background, with infection rates dropping to unprecedented lows over the past two years.
In the pre-pandemic year of 2019, Australia’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System recorded a significant 313,033 laboratory-confirmed flu cases.
However, a dramatic decline occurred, plummeting to just 598 cases by 2021, largely attributed to stringent lockdowns, adherence to social distancing protocols, and the general public’s avoidance of crowded spaces.
A leading virologist emphasizes that while Covid-19 immunity and vaccines are crucial, they offer insufficient protection against the flu. Experts are urging Australians to ensure they are vaccinated as winter approaches.
The lack of exposure to the flu during lockdowns could see it rip through the community in the upcoming winter months, with experts calling for people to seek the influenza shot to prevent severe illness.
‘Because we haven’t had it floating around the community in the last two years we haven’t had the same exposure,’ Professor Catherine Bennett told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We’ve got a gap now, if we haven’t seen it for two years variants could be quite different now.’
Professor Bennett, who is the inaugural chair in Epidemiology at Deakin University, said Covid immunity will do little to stop flu infection.
‘They’re different. The body is primed to recognise Covid now and the other things we do to look after our immune system are strong for everything,’ she said.
‘Covid protection will boost the immune system, but they’re completely different.’
Flu infections in Australia fell from 313,033 in 2019 to just 598 in 2021 – with new variants of the virus set to cause havoc
She hopes Australia will see record numbers of flu shots as the country approaches a tricky period dealing with outbreaks in the colder seasons.
‘It’d be good if people who didn’t think about getting the flu shot before do now,’ Professor Bennett said.
‘Younger people can get a terrible virus and think it is the flu, but you realise it’s very different. It’s important people restart. It’s a good, safe vaccine.’
The Deakin University chair said while the shot ‘isn’t perfect’, it will help Australians deal with the upcoming season.
Professor Bennett said people will have different responses as a result of the strength of their immune system, which can be as simple as different genetics
‘It’s important people restart. It’s a good safe vaccine and might take the edge of an infection,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
Professor Bennett also said the Covid safe practices the world have been executing, including distancing and mask use, should see the Aussies well equipped to handle the flu season.
‘Mask-wearing, keeping people at a distance, it’ll all help. We’re more savvy protecting ourselves from exposure now,’ she said.
‘Get the flu shot. It’s not perfect but it’ll help.’