INDIANAPOLIS — As flu season nears, questions are starting on the possibility of a ‘twindemic’ or a bad flu season colliding with a peak in COVID-19 cases.
Experts say it is unclear they know exactly what will happen.
“We’re hoping that again, these measures, wearing masks, staying physically distant — will help protect us from a ‘twindemic’ as you say, or at least from a bad flu season,” Thomas Duszynski, Director of Epidemiology Education at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI, said.
So, what happens if the public doesn't follow those measures?
"I think we could end up in trouble to be honest, I think that you know, having COVID and influenza at the same time is possible, co-infections are possible. And, you know, we could expect to see hospitalizations to increase. We would expect to see more people have to be admitted into the intensive care unit, and maybe unfortunately mortality increasing as well,” he said.
Experts not only recommend the influenza vaccine, but suggest getting it earlier in the season rather than later. The flu vaccine also takes about two weeks to gain protection.
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