During the pandemic last year, influenza cases were virtually non-existent in the community as a result of safety precautions from COVID-19 said Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health.
However this year, common colds, influenza and parainfluenza are expected to make a comeback and WDG Public Health is urging community members to get the flu shot when it becomes available.
“Our key message is that COVID isn't the only thing that's going to be on the horizon, and that we all have to think about the other risks to our health,” said Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, associate medical officer of health for WDG Public Health.
He also added that WDG Public Health hasn’t seen an influenza case since April last year.
“We know that while people still are back to their pre-pandemic normal there probably is more interaction and mixing.”
Tenenbaum said while influenza is a key virus that we have a vaccine against, there are other viruses like parrot influenza, rhinovirus and other kinds of coronaviruses that can lead to a common cold.
“We don't have anything to suggest or which ones among those are going to be more common this year, we expected in general, that they're going to make a bit of a resurgence because they just spread easily that time of year,” said Tenenbaum.
WDG Public Health will be rolling out flu shots to clinics and pharmacies later this month. Tenenbaum said it's difficult to predict how widespread viruses will become this fall and winter as it depends on a number of factors such as community behaviours and safety precautions.
Tenenbaum said getting the flu shot will reduce one’s risk of becoming sick from the flu and passing it on.
‘If everyone follows the same key measures that they're doing for COVID, masking, distancing, staying home when you're not feeling well, those things also have the added benefit of reducing the transmission of these other bugs and so the degree to which we follow those measures will impact the risk of these other infections, down the road,” he said.
“The same way the COVID vaccine is important. It's also important to get the flu vaccine.”
