Canada's Health experts advise flu shots to reduce toll on healthcare system

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Ottawa, Sep 3 (Canadian-Media):  Canadians are being urged by Canadian health experts to get the flu shot to avoid an influx of people becoming ill as influenza and the novel coronavirus circulate at the same time, media reports said.

Flu shot. Image credit: Unsplash

Health experts say that although flu shot does not prevent one from getting coronavirus still it's important that people do their best to reduce their chances of getting flu, as it takes an enormous toll on the health-care system if it needs to treat both flu and COVID-19 patients. 

"If you haven't received the vaccine in previous years, this is the year to get it," said Dr. Danuta Skowronski, an infectious disease expert specializing in influenza and emerging respiratory illnesses at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, and added, "It is particularly important this year that those with high-risk conditions receive the influenza vaccine so that we are not utilizing critical hospital beds for influenza that could be used for those with COVID, [where] there is currently no vaccine," reported by CBC News.

Due to an "overlap" in the people who are at especially high risk of critical illness from influenza and from COVID-19 including seniors and people with underlying health conditions, getting a flu vaccine could also help reduce "unnecessary testing" for COVID-19 as several symptoms of both illnesses are similar, said Skowronski.  

Anticipated increased demand for the flu shot has resulted in increase of 22 percent of the vaccine (13.7 million) ordered by the provinces and territories compared to the amount ordered by the same time last year (11.2 million), the highest order ever placed in Canada for seasonal influenza vaccine, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), CBC News learnt from PHAC.

The flu vaccine is expected to be available in canada this year at its usual time starting in mid-September with most deliveries completed by the end of October, the PHAC said.