Australians urged to space out flu shots and COVID jabs
As the cooler weather bites, health experts are urging Australians to get the flu vaccine.
However, COVID jabs could delay the annual rollout, as health experts advise the two vaccines be spaced out to avoid complications.
Infectious disease paediatrician Robert Booy said citizens eligible for the COVID-19 jab should give that priority.
READ MORE: 'Diversity of approaches' needed to get COVID-19 vaccines into arms
You can sign up for the Today newsletter here. Today
Flu season is likely to be more severe this year, which has led to a warning from health experts. iStock
"We want to maintain a two-week gap between each," he explained on Today.
"Because COVID is more deadly, if you are booked for a COVID vaccine in the next two to three weeks have that first and then wait for two weeks before having your flu jab."
Dr Booy warned that the likelihood of serious flu infections will increase as borders open and travel resumes.
Dr Robert Booy warned this flu season will be more dangerous than last year's. Today
"We actually had an amazing impact on all sorts of respiratory infections last year, including flu, by having very good social distancing and having the borders closed.
"That's going to change this year. We are going to have more and more travel overseas, there is more viruses coming in and more pressure on the system," he said.
"The flu jab is probably more needful right now because last year there was so little influenza around that the level of immunity in the community has gone down," he said.
"The flu virus does mutate faster than COVID so we're dealing with new variants this year."
The influenza virus as seen under a microscope. Centres for Disease Control
Australia recorded its second most deadly flu year in 2019.
By October 6, 2019, more than 800 influenza-associated deaths were noted.
Join the Today show family and give yourself the chance to win great prizes by signing up to our weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday with a special message from Karl and Ally. You can sign up for free here.
We’d love to hear from you
