07 Apr 2022
Influenza in the times of COVID
The Australian Science Media Centre recently hosted a background briefing on Influenza in times of COVID.
As our healthcare system is under pressure from each new wave of COVID-19 infections, how will it fare with the pandemic and our upcoming flu season?
The briefing discusses the following issues:
- Impacts on the healthcare system of dealing with both viruses
- Impacts on our health if infected with both viruses
- How effective will the vaccines be for both diseases/ do they affect one another?
- Will we be able to give the two vaccines together?
- Could we potentially give one vaccine for both?
- Will we be looking at having vaccines for specific SARS-CoV-2 strains, similar to what we do for influenza?
- Can we bundle in the flu vaccine with everyone’s booster so there is a higher vaccine coverage than other years?
Speakers:
- Professor Ian Barr - Deputy Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Doherty Institute
- Dr Kirsty Short - NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, University of Queensland
- Professor Catherine Bennett - Chair in Epidemiology, Deakin University