Does the flu vaccine have a protective effect against Covid-19? It would seem so: according to a US study, people who have received the seasonal vaccine are in fact less likely to be infected and develop a severe form. Researchers at the University of Michigan looked for a correlation between seasonal flu vaccination and Covid-19 infection in 4.5 million patient records within the national health system: among these, they identified 27,201 people who swab during the first wave, between March and July 2020.
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And here are the results: the odds of being positive have proven themselves reduced by 24% for those who had previously had the seasonal vaccine versus those who had not. Hospitalization rates are also lower, as is the need for mechanical ventilation. Not only that: even fewer days of hospitalization were enough for the vaccinated who needed hospital care.
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The research results were published in the scientific journal American Journal of Infection Control. Only 4% of the vaccinated people tested positive, compared to 5% of the unvaccinated, with a low hospitalization rate which, however, is not reflected in the mortality rate, which was not significantly different between the two study groups. According to the lead author, Marion Hofmann Bowman, “The difference between the two groups is even more significant if we take into account criteria such as body mass index, tobacco consumption, sex and age”, but “we cannot yet prove that this is a cause-effect link: the mechanisms underlying this protection are still unclear. In any case, no one in the study tested positive for both infections at the same time ”.
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“Other studies are underway to investigate the effects of the seasonal flu vaccine on respiratory diseases”, adds Hofmann, but it is too early to unbalance: “It is possible that there is a direct biological effect of the flu vaccine on the immune system, useful to fight Covid-19, but it could also be that the patients who undergo the vaccine are people who more respect social distancing and anti-contagion recommendations. Although in our analyzes we were able to control the morbidities known to be linked to the risk of Covid-19, the protective association observed could also be determined by differences in social and health behaviors or by disparate socioeconomic factors between these in the vaccinated groups and not vaccinated “.
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Certainly specific studies will be needed to clearly establish a causal link between the flu vaccine, the susceptibility and severity of the development of severe acute respiratory syndrome. But in any case, the increase in vaccination coverage allows to decrease the spread of the flu syndrome, reducing the risk of complications in the elderly and in people suffering from chronic diseases, who are also the groups most affected by the new coronavirus. “A decrease in all respiratory viral infections was observed in 2020, probably thanks to social distancing and the use of masks – continues Hofmann -, but until the coronavirus vaccine is widely available, the flu vaccine should be promoted. to reduce the burden of the disease during this pandemic ”.
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Prior to the pandemic, Dr. Hofmann, who is a cardiologist at Michigan Medicine Frankel Cardiovascular Center, along with PhD student Anna Conlon found another encouraging association with the flu vaccine: cardiovascular protective effects. “There is reliable data showing that the flu vaccine prevents heart attacks and hospitalizations for heart failure, which is one more reason to do it every year.”
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