There is a chance that you get flu and COVID 19 at the same time. As the flu season approaches, doctors are concerned about a twin demic.
Hospitals in the country are already reeling in under the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic and flu season is about to arrive which can severely affect the citizens who are just recovering from the second wave of the pandemic.
What If You Get Both Flu And COVID 19 Together?
Experts warn that the US is going to face a two-faced disaster; a combination of flu and COVID 19. Patients may have to fight both at the same time. If it happens, your immune system is in for a disaster. To be honest, getting infected with one makes you an easy victim for the other.
Flu, as you know, is a respiratory disease. Once you get it, you become vulnerable to other such germs. Both the diseases, COVID 19 and flu, invade your lungs. This may cause another such disease, pneumonia. Your lungs may get filled with fluids and it may lead to lung failure.
Either of the illness may even cause inflammation of the heart, muscle tissues, and brain. Heart injuries and sepsis are the other dangers that follow it. Furthermore, having the two illnesses simultaneously may cause long-term complications of either of them.
Experts, however, warn that reaching such a conclusion at present is immature. COVID 19 pandemic affected the US only when the flu season was about to end. Thus, there isn’t sufficient data to analyze the effect of having both illnesses at the same time.
Even then, experts believe that getting both the flu and COVID 19 at the same time makes you vulnerable to pneumonia. The combination is injurious for your lungs, and it may lead to lung failure.
Respiratory failure does not mean that your lungs will stop functioning all of a sudden. It is a situation where your lungs fail to get oxygen in sufficient quantities. Acute lung failure, however, is fatal. That is a condition that demands urgent medical intervention.
How to know if you have COVID 19 or the flu or both
Symptoms of both the COVID 19 and flu are almost the same. Both declare their presence with fever, stuffy or runny nose, cough, shortness of breath, body ache, and fatigue. Some may even have diarrhea and vomiting. These, however, are seen mostly among adults. But COVID 19 deprives you of your ability to smell and taste and up to 50% of COVID 19 transmission happens among asymptomatic patients. Thus, the most effective way to determine your condition is a test.
CDC has launched a test that detects both the flu and the COVID 19 viruses. It is available in all CDC-supported labs. CDC has also said that it is manufacturing the tool on a large scale so that it can distribute the same to all.
Averting this double disaster
Mask up and maintain social distancing. These two, according to health professionals, are the most effective ways to avoid infections. Everyone has to do these if they want the country to get back to normal.
At the southern end of the world, nations are recording low numbers of flu because of masking and social distancing. In Australia, for instance, the number of flu cases was 61000 in 2019. In 2021, the same came down to 107. In the US, people are reluctant to wear masks. That is going to be a real issue, experts say.
The smart option is to get vaccinated, both for flu and for COVID 19. Breakthrough infections happen. But they are moderate or mild for those vaccinated. Furthermore, receiving your shots is a service to the country.
Hospitals across the US are already stressed out due to COVID 19. Vaccination will relieve them of the stress.
