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home / 世界杯决赛2022

health officials expecting a tough flu season, the first since the pandemic began

"vaccination against influenza will be particularly important this fall given the potential for the co-circulation of covid-19."

by elizabeth payne

sep 13 2022
read time 5 minute read
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after two years of virtual absence, influenza is expected to roar back this fall. with most pandemic protections gone, that has many experts concerned about the impact of a so-called twindemic on a pandemic-weary public and a fragile health system.
although it is notoriously difficult to predict flu seasons, public health officials closely watch what happens in the southern hemisphere during their winter for guidance. not only did australia see a severe flu season this year, for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020, but flu cases began spiking two months earlier than usual.
that suggests north america could be in for something similar.
combined with covid-19, which continues to circulate, more people gathering indoors without public health precautions such as masks, and the struggling health-care system, that could result in a difficult winter in ontario, just as most people are looking forward to a return to normalcy.
“i feel a little bit of resignation that it is probably going to be bad,” said dr. jeff kwong, a public health and preventative disease specialist at the dalla lana school of public health in toronto as well as a family physician.
both kwong and ottawa public health officials are encouraging people to get a flu vaccine this year, even if they don’t normally do so, along with as many covid-19 vaccines as they are eligible for.
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“vaccination against influenza will be particularly important this fall given the potential for the co-circulation of covid-19,” oph said in a statement.
most people who aren’t considered high risk will not be able to get a flu shot until november and the new bivalent covid-19 vaccine is only available to most people six months after their last booster dose — which means the fall flu and covid season could be underway before some people are able to get vaccinated.
quebec announced it is kicking off its flu shot campaign earlier than usual this year, and is encouraging people to get it the same time they get a covid-19 bivalent (which protects against the omicron variant as well as the original strain).
in ontario, the omicron bivalent vaccine began rolling out this week for long-term care residents and others at high risk. but flu shots will not be available to long-term care residents and staff until the end of september and not until october for others at high risk. influenza vaccines are expected to be available to the general public in ontario in november, according to ottawa public health, which is when they are normally widely available.
in ottawa, where influenza is now tracked in wastewater along with covid-19, flu made a brief off-season appearance last spring. the timing coincided with the lifting of mask mandates.
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kwong said public health measures put in place for the pandemic effectively blocked the transmission of influenza as well. he recommends people continue using masks, and other public health measures, this fall and winter, with influenza and covid-19 circulating.
jordan clark, owner/pharmacist at a shopper’s drug mart at 410 richmond rd., expects a difficult flu season and urges everyone to get a flu shot.
jordan clark, owner/pharmacist at a shopper’s drug mart at 410 richmond rd., expects a difficult flu season and urges everyone to get a flu shot. photo supplied / .
prior to covid-19, which has killed more than 44,000 canadians since the spring of 2020, influenza was responsible for the deaths of thousands of canadians each year, mainly the elderly and others with risk factors. because children under three have never been exposed to influenza, kwong said they could be at higher risk of more severe infection this year. the rest of the population could also get hit harder this year if they become infected with the flu, he said, because they have not been exposed since the pandemic began.
“we are mostly worried about the high-risk groups,” he said, but it is a good idea for everyone to get a flu vaccine not only to protect themselves, but those around them, similar to the rationale for covid-19 vaccines. he said flu shots are usually given later in the fall so the protection does not wane by the end of the season.
kwong said it is largely not known what co-infection with covid and influenza at the same time could look like, but it is likely people would become very sick if infected with more than one virus.

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he said a key concern for the upcoming viral season is the impact it will have on the already struggling health system.
kwong noted that before the pandemic, flu season typically caused problems for the health-care system, with additional pressure on beds and staff off sick. this year, with hospitals already critically short-staffed and some temporarily closing emergency departments, it could be a “huge disaster”, he said.
“i feel like the health-care system is just hanging by a thread.”
the province has removed mask mandates, but kwong advises people to continue wearing them, especially when viral season is here. he also recommends vaccines for influenza and covid-19 boosters, as well as close attention to hand washing. and, although he acknowledges it would be less popular, kwong noted that physical distancing, even partial lockdowns, are highly effective and stopping viral spread.
that could prove necessary, he said, if a new, dangerous covid variant emerges as influenza and other viruses are spreading, especially since most people are not wearing masks or taking other precautions.
jordan clark, owner/pharmacist at a shopper’s drug mart at 410 richmond rd., is also anticipating a difficult flu season.

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“we want people to be healthy and avoid the flu as much as possible,” he said. “given all the strains on the health-care system, anything we can do to reduce the burden on hospitals and long-term care, that is going to help reduce the burden on the health-care system.”
he also recommends everyone get a flu shot this year, in addition to covid-19 vaccines and boosters.
“we know it is the most important and effective way of reducing flu and it protects not just the person getting it, but the people they might be around.”
the vaccines available for the 2022/23 seasons include a quadrivalent vaccine that protects against four different flu viruses and a trivalent vaccine that protects against three different viruses.
people will be able to get flu vaccines through ottawa public health community clinics, at their health-care providers and at pharmacies. additional details will be announced in the fall.
 
 
elizabeth payne
elizabeth payne
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