Ever since COVID-19 hit, the CDC and public health officials have been recommending the flu vaccine — not to prevent COVID-19, but to minimize the number of flu cases so that the medical system doesn’t become overwhelmed.
Does the evidence support that recommendation?
It is well known that flu vaccines have fairly low effectiveness. It’s less well known that they don’t prevent mucosal infection (so while it may protect you from symptoms, if exposed to the flu, you may still become infected and able to infect others), they don’t prevent transmission in close spaces like households, and if you get the flu shot annually, its effectiveness drops even more. There’s also the problem of studies showing that annual flu vaccination increases risk of catching pandemic flu, and studies showing flu vaccination increases your risk of other respiratory infections – including those in the coronavirus family (see this page FLU and this post FLU post)
A 2019 study by the Department of Defense found that flu vaccination significantly increased risk of coronavirus during the 2017-18 season. Since COVID-19 was not known about then (it is looking like the virus started circulating sometime in 2019), it’s not known if vaccination increases someone’s risk of COVID-19 specifically.
Vaccine. 2020 Jan 10; 38(2): 350–354.
PMCID: PMC7126676
PMID: 31607599
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7126676/Influenza vaccination and respiratory virus interference among Department of Defense personnel during the 2017–2018 influenza season
Conclusions
“Examining virus interference by specific respiratory viruses showed mixed results. Vaccine derived virus interference was significantly associated with coronavirus and human metapneumovirus;”
The study can be read HERE.
If you review the history and data of flu vaccination and flu vaccine products (always read the inserts), and decide they’re not right for you and your family, you still have many safe and effective “prophylactic” tools for both the flu and COVID-19. If you don’t already have one, find a health care practitioner who has studied nutritional therapies to guide you on foods and supplements and lifestyle choices that can pro-actively protect you, and who can also guide you through treatment protocols if you do come down with a viral infection. Nutrients include Vitamins C, D, A, zinc, and the all-essential glutathione. Many naturopaths are reporting full recovery in their COVID-19 cases of all ages. And across the board, health care practitioners are finding the sooner protocols begun, the better.
Low Vitamin D levels have long been associated with poor flu outcomes, and a letter at SSRN (“tomorrow’s research today”), says there is a correlation between Vitamin D levels and COVID-19. The lower the levels, the higher the severity of symptoms.
“In conclusion, this study provides substantial information to clinicians and health policy-makers. Vitamin D supplementation could possibly improve clinical outcomes of patients infected with Covid-2019 based on increasing odds ratio of having a mild outcome when serum (OH)D level increases.”
What’s in your healthy immunity toolbox?
You can do your part to protect the community, and your own health, without sacrificing your medical freedom, or taking any unwanted risks. Do your due diligence and make fully informed decisions–and now more than ever, pay attention to new information so you can adjust your toolbox as needed.
And it cased you missed it, the latest government studies show that sunshine (including simulated), heat, and humidity are effective at neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). See our post on HUMIDITY, and watch for more information about how to create a healthy immunity environment in your home, school, and workplace.
