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To prick or not to prick? Should you get a flu vaccine?

COVID-19 Measures Also Suppress Flu

Flu cases may spike in late winter after months of low infection rates. Experts are reluctant to predict a mild season too soon, according to ScienceMag. But many are ready to declare that COVID-19 control measures have prevented lots of flu illnesses. COVID measures dramatically tamped down the flu and other respiratory viruses that we usually face. The World Health Organization says flu activity in the Northern Hemisphere is at “interseasonal levels." That means it’s as low as in an ordinary summer.

Study Shows Simple Way To Reduce Deaths From Flu, Pneumonia

UPI reports new research shows it's a very good idea to insist that healthcare workers get an annual flu shot. That's according to researchers from the University of Georgia, Montana State University and Monash University in Australia. They found that states with mandatory flu shots for hospital workers saw statewide reductions in deaths from influenza and pneumonia. They estimate that during the 2016-17 season alone, nearly 2,000 deaths were averted in the 15 U.S. states that had mandatory vaccination laws at that time. The findings suggest that health-worker vaccination laws may be a good way to protect the country's most vulnerable populations. The researchers say it's possible that similar benefits could also be seen with mandatory COVID-19 vaccination of hospital workers.

Pfizer Ships COVID-19 Vaccine