As the flu season approaches, some might be concerned about the situation given that the country is still in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke with Consultant Paediatrician Prof. Victor Grech about the issue. “When faced with a situation in which both viruses will be present at the same time, it will be very difficult to detect which virus we will be dealing with in sick individuals.”

“We might face a scenario in which we will have to deal with both viruses in one individual,” he said.

For this particular reason, Prof. Grech (below) urged everyone to take the flu vaccine this year, as he warned that “one would not want to risk catching the flu together with COVID-19.”

This newsroom also spoke to family doctor Dr Christopher Deguara who said that “even though Influenza (flu) and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses, both are contagious respiratory illnesses.”

He added that “since they share a similar presentation, it’s hard to differentiate between them based on symptoms alone, so testing may be needed to confirm the diagnosis.” 

When it comes to the flu vaccine, Deguara (below) said that “it is highly recommended for people to take it in order to reduce the severity of symptoms. It especially protects the vulnerable from influenza’s potentially deadly complications,” he said. 

When it comes to distinguishing between the two viruses, “both the seasonal flu and COVID-19 can have varying degrees of symptoms, ranging from none to a severe presentation. A distinct difference between them is that COVID-19 patients may present a change or loss of taste or smell. However, several symptoms are present in both conditions including fever, cough, headaches, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle pain and body aches, vomiting, and diarrhoea.”

Based on a paper about Influenza Vaccination in the COVID-19 Era written by Prof.  Victor Grech and Prof.  Michael Borg, “due to influenza’s high mutation rate, any particular vaccine usually confers protection for no more than a few years."

“Accurate data on vaccine efficiency is lacking but a review of children in good health showed that vaccination seemed to lower the risk of getting influenza from 30% to 11%. Meanwhile, an equivalent review for adults indicated a 60% reduction in risk of catching influenza after vaccination,” the paper read.

The paper also highlights that “co-infected patients did not fare worse compared to patients just infected with COVID-19. The argument in favour of universal influenza vaccination would probably lean on the side of decreasing hospital stays due to complications and therefore alleviating the hospital and other health systems from the significant pressure of dealing with both COVID-19 and influenza in the same period.”

Within the paper, Virologist and Clinical Chairman Dr Christopher Barbara stated that “although every year is an influenza year, this year is going to be quite unique because the flu like symptoms may not necessarily be due to influenza but also due to the COVID-19 virus.”

He also encouraged everyone to take the flu vaccine this year in order to avoid a complex scenario and possibly a double pathology.  

Asked about how this situation will affect the country, Grech explained that “we might have a decrease in flu circulating as people are more aware of the risks this year and we anticipate a rush for the vaccine as happened in other countries.”

He added that “people are already booking the vaccine for September. Moreover, social distancing, frequent hand washings, and the wearing of masks will still be in place and these not only prevent COVID-19 but also flu, colds, and other illnesses.”

Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci announced on Friday that the wearing of masks will become obligatory on buses, in shops, the airport, and the Gozo Channel ferries. Anyone who does not abide by this regulation will be fined €50.

Around April 2020, the government decided to scrap the prefabricated hospital idea after it received advice that it was not required. This prefabricated hospital was to be imported in containers from abroad and built in the Mater Dei hospital area in order to increase bed space.

Several statements were made by the Health Authorities back in April, including by Charmaine Gauci who repeatedly stated that the temporary hospital was not only necessary for patients who are sick with the Coronavirus, but it would come in handy in October when Malta will face the COVID-19 virus together with influenza. 

Asked about whether they are concerned about the fact that the prefabricated hospital is no longer available, Victor Grech remarked that “he is not worried unless the situation (the current second wave) gets out of control, a distinct possibility given the current second wave of COVID.” Meanwhile, Chris Deguara remarked that “Malta has a sterling health care system.”

Deguara continued explaining that “in the past, our hospitals have always suffered full occupancy during the Influenza season. However, I believe that the Government, together with the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Department, budgeted heavily to increase bed space upon the outbreak of COVID-19. They did this in the eventuality that Malta should suffer the same impact as that of our neighbouring countries.” He added that “we should be well catered for” and expressed that at this point, he is not concerned that the prefabricated hospital is no longer available.

“One should also bear in mind that there needs to be a balance between bed-stay and workforce as it’s useless to have loads of beds with no healthcare professionals to look after them,” he said.

Victor Grech explained that “as a paediatrician, I will be faced with sick children who may have a cold or flu or COVID.”

He expressed that “this will not be an easy Winter, especially if schools open without strict adherence to the plan which the Health Authorities have devised for potential school re-openings.”

The concern with such a situation is that “we will have children who will need to be swabbed in much higher numbers than currently, as many children fall ill several times each winter. The younger they are, the more frequently and the sicker they become.” 

Chris Deguara remarked that “as a specialist in Family Medicine, the influenza season is always the busiest time, however, this year it will be even busier. This will be especially true when it comes to sick-leave verification.”

“We hope we shall have a laboratory test which will help us differentiate quickly between the two to direct the patient and their employer better while containing the spread,” he said.

 

For more information visit ‘Prof. Victor Grech’s daily COVID Roundup on http://www.ithams.com/covid19/updates.html.