Hungarian Epidemiologist Notes Covid-19 Misconceptions, Importance Of Flu Shot
- 8 Sep 2020 8:11 AM
- Hungary Matters
Getting vaccinated against the flu is getting increased emphasis during the novel coronavirus epidemic because it can protect at-risk groups against at least one of the diseases, Hungary’s chief epidemiologist said.
The flu season is approaching and at-risk groups are the same as for the new virus, such as the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions and those that recently had an operation, János Szlávik of the Budapest South Pest Hospital told public broadcaster Kossuth Rádió.
“The flu vaccine is already available so it is important to address people who usually do not get it but are in a potential vulnerable group,” he added.
The flu shot is also important to doctors because it can help them factor out the flu when formulating a diagnosis, Szlávik said.
In response to a question, he said waste water samples taken around Hungary indicated that the number of coronavirus infections could be on the rise in the next 4-10 days.
He added that it was wrong to assume that the virus is not a threat to younger people because they too could end up in intensive care and potentially die from it.
Coronavirus mortality rates are much higher than that of the flu, Szlávik added.
MTI Photo: János Mészáros
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