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Experts are concerned about the return of the flu. In the past winters, influenza viruses had little chance due to all the corona measures. Now that these have largely been abolished, the flu could also make a comeback.
“We haven’t infected each other with the flu for two years and we haven’t built up any immunity. We are now more vulnerable to the flu,” Bristol University pediatrics professor Adam Finn told The Guardian.
“The flu could become a much bigger problem than Covid-19 this winter,” says Finn, who emphasizes the importance of the annual flu shot for the vulnerable. Around the time the flu shot is handed out, there will probably also be a round with a new corona vaccine.
Vaccine manufacturers are working on new inoculations tailored to the characteristics of the Omikron virus. The current vaccines are still based on the original virus that appeared in Wuhan at the end of 2019.
A year ago there was also fear of a severe flu season, but because many countries took the necessary measures against corona in the autumn and winter, the flu epidemic started very late. In the Netherlands, for example, there was only an epidemic in mid-March.
A severe flu season can have major consequences for healthcare. In 2018, for example, hospitals were overflowing with flu patients. A twentieth epidemic, in which there is a flu and a corona wave at the same time, could again cause major problems in healthcare.