Researchers at Michigan Medicine say they found an association between the flu vaccine and fewer cases of less severe coronavirus. The study, which reviewed the medical records of more than 27,000 patients, also found that no one included in the data tested positive for both viruses at the same time.
“It is possible that patients receiving the flu vaccine are also practicing more social detachment and following CDC guidelines,” Marion Hofmann Bowman, MD, senior author and associate professor of internal medicine and cardiologist at Michigan Medicine Frankel Cardiovascular Center, said in a press release. “However, it is also plausible that there may be a direct biological effect of the flu vaccine on the immune system relevant to the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”
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The researchers found that between March and mid-July 2020, of the nearly 13,000 who received the flu vaccine the previous year, 4% tested positive for COVID-19, while nearly 5% of the 14,000 who rejected the flu vaccine tested it COVID- positive 19 Those who were shot were also “significantly” less likely to need hospitalization, according to the press release published on Eurekalert.org.
Hofmann noted that the underlying cause of the apparent association is not yet clear.
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“Instead of a worrying connection between COVID-19 and the flu vaccine, our publication provides more confidence that getting the flu vaccine is associated with staying out of the hospital for COVID-19,” said Hofmann.