References

Cabinet Office. Staying alert and safe (social distancing). 2020. https//www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing (accessed 27 August 2020)

Department of Health and Social Care. Independent report: Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation: interim advice on priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination. 2020. https//www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi/interim-advice-on-priority-groups-for-covid-19-vaccination (accessed 27 August 2020)

Kuster SP, Shah PS, Coleman BL Incidence of influenza in healthy adults and healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2011; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0026239

NHS. Who's at higher risk from coronavirus. 2020. https//www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk/whos-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/ (accessed 27 August 2020)

Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Emergency Response Epidemiology Team. Vital surveillances: the epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) – China. 2020. http//weekly.chinacdc.cn/en/article/id/e53946e2-c6c4-41e9-9a9b-fea8db1a8f51

Public Health England. Immunisation against infectious disease. 2019. https//www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation-against-infectious-disease-the-green-book (accessed 27 August 2020)

Public Health England. Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK. 2020b. https//coronavirus-staging.data.gov.uk/

Public Health England. COVID-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes. 2020c. https//www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-review-of-disparities-in-risks-and-outcomes (accessed 27 August 2020)

Public Health England. National flu immunisation programme plan. 2020d. https//www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-flu-immunisation-programme-plan (accessed 27 August 2020)

Public Health England. Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake in healthcare workers (HCWs) in England: winter season 2019 to 2020. 2020e. https//www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake-in-healthcare-workers-winter-2019-to-2020 (accessed 27 August 2020)

Rémy V, Zöllner Y, Heckmann U. Vaccination: the cornerstone of an efficient healthcare system. J Market Access Health Policy. 2020; https://doi.org/10.3402/jmahp.v3.27041

World Health Organization. Clinical management of COVID-19: Interim Guidance. 2020a. https//www.who.int/publications/i/item/clinical-management-of-covid-19 (accessed 27 August 2020)

World Health Organization. Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2020–2021 northern hemisphere influenza season. 2020b. https//www.who.int/influenza/vaccines/virus/recommendations/2020-21_north/en/ (accessed 27 August 2020)

Tang S, Brady M, Mildenhall J, Rolfe U, Bowles A, Morgan K. The new coronavirus disease: what do we know so far?. J Para Pract. 2020; 12:(5)193-201 https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2020.12.5.193

Yan J, Grantham M, Pantelic J Aerosol shedding of infectious influenza virus. Proceed Nat Acad Sci. 2018; 115:(5)1081-1086 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1716561115

Seasonal flu, vaccinations and COVID-19

02 September 2020
Opinion
02 September 2020
Volume 12 · Issue 9

According to Public Health England (PHE) (2019), influenza is an acute viral infection of the respiratory tract. There are three types of influenza virus: A, B and C. Influenza A and influenza B are responsible for most clinical illnesses. Influenza is highly infectious with a usual incubation period of 1–3 days.

For most healthy people, influenza is an unpleasant but self-limiting illness, although it is far worse than the common cold. Its common symptoms include:

However, it has the potential to cause serious disease that could lead to hospitalisation and accounts for over 8000 deaths in the UK annually.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include: fever, a new and continuous cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of appetite, anosmia (loss of smell) and ageusia (loss of taste).

The current case community case definition of COVID-19 according to PHE (2020a) is the presence of one of the following symptoms:

Subscribe to get full access to the Journal of Paramedic Practice

Thank you for visiting the Journal of Paramedic Practice and reading our archive of expert clinical content. If you would like to read more from the only journal dedicated to those working in emergency care, you can start your subscription today for just £48.

What's included

  • CPD Focus

  • Develop your career

  • Stay informed

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address