Flu Vaccine Prevents 90% of Severe COVID-19 Cases [Reading Science]

Introduction of Paper by Qatar Research Team in International Journal Nature

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] It has been confirmed that the influenza vaccine is also highly effective in preventing COVID-19 and reducing its severity.

According to the international journal Nature on the 17th, a recent study by a research team from Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar surveyed over 30,000 healthcare workers and found that those who received the influenza vaccine were nearly 90% less likely to experience severe COVID-19 infection in the following months compared to those who did not.

The research team reached this conclusion after tracking the influenza vaccination status and health records of 518 COVID-19 infected individuals and more than 2,000 uninfected individuals. Those who received the influenza vaccine had a 30% lower probability of contracting COVID-19 and an 89% lower chance of severe illness compared to those who did not. These findings were published on the medical preprint site MedRxiv and have not yet undergone peer review. Previously, a study from the University of Basel in Switzerland also reported that the influenza vaccine reduced the risk of death among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Brazil.

However, it is unclear how long the influenza vaccine’s protective effect against the COVID-19 virus lasts. According to the Qatar research team’s paper, on average, individuals did not contract COVID-19 for about six weeks after receiving the influenza vaccine. Professor Mihai Netea, an infectious disease expert at Radboud University in the Netherlands, stated, "This study provides very important evidence. The fact that it reduces not only severity but also infection suggests that the influenza vaccine actually offers protection against the COVID-19 virus." He added, "The effect of the influenza vaccine is unlikely to last very long, possibly about six months, and at most up to two years."

It is still uncertain how the influenza vaccine provides protection against COVID-19. Professor Netea explained, "Vaccines are usually designed to recognize and act against specific pathogens," but "they can also enhance broadly acting antiviral defenses."