Children who receive a seasonal flu vaccine are less likely to experience the symptoms of a COVID-19 infection, a promising study concluded.
- US-based researchers observed a group of more than 900 children in Arkansas
- Half were vaccinated with the seasonal flu vaccine and the other half did not receive it
- Data show that children who received a flu vaccine are 29 percent less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19
Children who receive the annual flu vaccine are less likely to develop Covid-19 symptoms, a study reveals.
The researchers analyzed the medical records of 905 children who tested positive for Covid-19 when they were admitted to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital System between February 1 and August 30, 2020. Approximately half had received the seasonal flu vaccine.
However, the data show that children who received a flu vaccine were 29 percent less likely to develop Covid-19 symptoms after infection with the coronavirus.
The scientists found that those who were vaccinated against the flu also had 32% less risk of developing respiratory symptoms and 33% less chance of developing serious illnesses.
Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who led the study, believe that the flu vaccine may provide immunological protection against Covid due to a biological phenomenon known as ‘viral interference’.
Data show that children who received a flu vaccine are 29 percent less likely to develop symptoms of Covid-19 if they are infected with coronavirus (stock)
“It is known that the growth of a virus can be inhibited by a previous viral infection,” explains Dr. Anjali Patwardhan, co-author of the study.
‘[Virus interference] it can occur even when the first invading virus is an inactivated virus, as is the case with the flu vaccine. ‘
Almost two-thirds of the patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 had no symptoms, but those who had the majority (88 percent) were only mild cases.
Those who were vaccinated against the flu also had a 32% reduction in the risk of developing respiratory symptoms, the study shows (stock)
Throughout the pandemic, children were found not to be affected by coronavirus infection, unlike adults.
They account for a minimal percentage of symptomatic cases and even less for hospitalizations and deaths.
For example, only 32 of the 74,786 Covid-related deaths in hospitals recorded by the NHS England on February 4, 2021 were people under the age of 19, about 4.2 percent.
Separate data from the Office for National Statistics data report that on January 22 there were 103,394 deaths involving Covid-19, and only 11 of them occurred in people under the age of 14 – 1.35 percent.
However, the role of children as carriers of the virus remains relatively unknown, with experts debating whether they can harbor the virus and spread it while they remain asymptomatic.
“Research in the pediatric population is critical because children play a significant role in influencing viral transmission,” said Dr. Patwardhan.
‘Understanding the relationship and coexistence of other viruses alongside COVID-19 and knowing the vaccination status of the pediatric patient can help to implement the right strategies to obtain the best results.’
The research was published in Cereus.