HJAR Sep/Oct 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2021 35 José R. Romero, MD Secretary Arkansas Department of Health high risk for severe illness when it comes to the flu, and ADH information suggests that the COVID-19 Delta variant may also have an increased risk. The flu and COVID-19 vaccines may be given during the same clinic visit, although the recommendations on who receives the two vaccines vary. The CDC recommends getting the flu vaccine by the end of October each year. The vaccine is offered via a shot, usually in the arm, or a nasal spray and is ad- justed each year to better match the types of flu expected to circulate in the United States during the upcoming flu season. Flu vaccina- tion is recommended for anyone sixmonths of age or older. School-age children and working-age adults are particularly encour- aged to get the flu vaccine to help prevent the spread of flu in schools and the work- place. With flu symptoms similar to those of COVID-19, this will help lower confusion regarding symptoms and the possible need for isolation and quarantine, which will help reduce stress for everyone. The ADH offers the flu vaccine at all Local Health Units at no cost to the patient. Patients will be asked to provide an insurance card if they have one. Many healthcare providers and pharmacies also provide the flu vaccine. Healthcare pro- viders are encouraged to track their patients’ flu vaccination status by checking WebIZ, the state immunization information system. COVID-19 vaccines are available to any adult who wants one. The Johnson and John- son vaccine is given in one dose, while the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines re- quire two doses given three or four weeks apart. Only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available to teens age 12-17. COVID-19 vac- cines for children under the age of 12 are cur- rently being studied. All three vaccines are undergoing clinical trials with the safety and efficiency data carefully reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prior ADH and 124 flu-related deaths. Last year’s season had 241 flu-related hospitalizations reported to the ADH and 18 flu-related deaths. The drop between the two seasons is attributed to more people staying home due to COVID-19 and taking precautions like wearing face coverings, washing their hands frequently, and maintaining a 6-foot distance fromothers. These factors may not influence the upcoming flu season. InArkan- sas, there have been over 378,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with more than 18,000 hospitalizations and 6,000 deaths as of the end of July. Flu and COVID-19 symptoms are similar. Both viruses can cause fever, chills, cough, headache, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, vomiting or diarrhea. COVID-19 can also cause a loss of taste or smell. Because it is hard to tell whether a person has flu or COVID-19, addi- tional testing is needed tomake an accurate diagnosis. It is also important to note that health professionals are still learning about the long-term effects of COVID-19. For ex- ample, studies show COVID-19 may cause inflammation to the heart muscle even in people with mild cases of COVID-19. There have also been a growing number of recov- ered patients who experienced some type of heart damage even if they did not have underlying heart disease and were not sick enough to be hospitalized. The flu can also affect the heart. While people are still encouraged to wear masks and socially distance, getting vacci- nated against the flu and COVID-19 are the best protections a person can take against these illnesses, especially if they have a higher risk of severe illness. People at high risk include those with chronic health con- ditions or with weakened immune systems, those who are pregnant, and those who are age 65 and older. Young children are also at to being authorized. Getting these vaccines will not cause a person to get sick with flu or COVID-19. The vaccines will simply teach a person’s immune system how to recognize and fight the virus that causes these respiratory ill- nesses. This process sometimes will cause symptoms like fever, but this is normal and a sign that the body is building protection against the viruses that cause flu and CO- VID-19. It typically takes a fewweeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination, so people should continue to take precautions. Historically, about half of the people in Arkansas who are eligible get the seasonal flu vaccine each year. The age group with the lowest vaccination rates is working-age adults who are 18-to-64 years old. Still, Ar- kansas has done well in providing access to the flu vaccine because of the number of mass clinics and school clinics offered around the state. For COVID-19, more than 41.1% ofArkansans age 12 or older have been fully vaccinated since the vaccines became available inArkansas on December 14, 2020. It is not yet known how long natural immu- nity to COVID-19 lasts, and it is also not yet known how long the immunity provided by the vaccine will last. The added protection fromvaccination is important because there is still a lot to learn about the long-term ef- fects of COVID-19. To learn more, visit https://www. healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/ topics/influenza or https://www.healthy. arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics /novel-coronavirus. The CDC has also provided interim clinical considerations for healthcare workers on the use of COVID-19 vaccines at https://www.cdc.gov/ vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/ covid-19-vaccines-us.html. n