Some experts feared we were in for a "twindemic" during the 2020-2021 flu season. That didn't happen, which might mean that there will be more people susceptible to getting sick this year.As I teach my students, there is no free lunch and everything is connected to everything else. Suppressing last winter's flu season prevented a lot of suffering and death but it could come at a price of not being prepared for the next flu season. Let's hope we can still prepare by knowing which strains to culture so we can have effective vaccines in the future.
Hosted by: Rose Bear Don't Walk
Speaking of lessons I teach my students, I was looking for a video to show them about how the influenza virus recombines in animal hosts, particularly pigs, but this might not be it. The script the host read described the virus's genetic material as DNA. Sorry, it's RNA. That alone might disqualify the video. Darn.
Good Morning America included some of SciShow's concerns when it asked Is the flu season going to be worse because last year's was so mild?
Dr. Jen Ashton answers questions about the coronavirus vaccines and your health.The answer is that Dr. Jen Ashton doesn't know, either. As she said, "The only thing predictable about a flu season is that it is unpredictable." We might experience the "twindemic" we feared last year, or the same measures that suppressed flu last year might work again.
Dr. Ashton mentioned those measures in another segment, What we know about the impact of COVID-19 for the fall.
Dr. Jen Ashton discusses the impact of COVID-19 in the summer and what to expect in the fall.Mask up, keep socially distant, and wash your hands. Those will work against both COVID-19 and the flu. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment