Study Suggests Flu Vaccine May Offer Partial Protection Against COVID-19

This study was based on the results of in vitro tests that demonstrate that the vaccine leads to an immune response against SARS-CoV-2, reports Challenge.ma. It also allows an improvement in cytokine (inflammatory molecules released by the immune system in the presence of a pathogen) responses.

According to the same study, Dutch hospital employees vaccinated against the flu during the 2019/2020 winter season were more spared from the virus than those who had not been vaccinated. According to the researchers, these results, added to other similar reports, are evidence of the effectiveness of the flu vaccine on Covid-19. Based on this experience, the flu vaccine could provide partial protection against the two infections this winter.

Each year, 290,000 to 650,000 people die from the flu worldwide. The same study reports that vaccination could prevent infection in high-risk individuals.