Should people get a flu shot during COVID-19?

In Hungary, many people are requesting the free-of-charge flu vaccine, but only healthy people can get it. However, it is not possible to test all applicants.

• coronavirus
• coronavirus in Hungary

Getting a flu vaccine is an essential part of protecting your health and your family’s health this season. However, the current coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down and placed significant stress on healthcare workers and hospitals. It is crucial to prevent illness during the pandemic, and that includes getting the flu shot.

General practitioners emphasise that only healthy people should get the immunisation, but so far, there is no solution for effectively screening patients for COVID-19.

The problem is getting more urgent since this year, the Hungarian government made the flu vaccine free of charge, which resulted in a growing interest, Népszava wrote. It is also crucial to prevent people who are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 from visiting their GP in large numbers. According to the Chief Medical Officer, the applicants should call their doctors to make an appointment to reduce the risks of the vaccination process.

István Cserni vice president of the Online Organization of General Practitioners noted that since it seems unlikely that GPs would request two negative PCR tests from all vaccination applicants, they cannot identify whether a patient is healthy or an asymptomatic coronavirus carrier.