Flu vaccine supplies to increase amid pandemic

Facing the dual threat of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu, which has always occurred in the autumn and winter, China is expanding the supply of flu vaccines this year to meet the expected increasing demand. Experts believe the flu vaccine will not be in short supply and the national arrangement will be finished in two months.

More than 15 million doses of the flu vaccine have been approved for the market this year, but experts expect 35 million more will be approved in 2020, double the number of the previous year. Approval procedures are accelerating, as nearly 7 million doses were approved in the first eight days of September.

In August, officials from the World Health Organization reminded countries to increase flu vaccination because of the difficulty of distinguishing the symptoms of COVID-19 from influenza and due to limited medical resources.

Tao Lina, a Shanghai-based immunologist, told chinanews.com that flu vaccinations will help eliminate confusion with COVID-19 cases. If a patient has a fever after an influenza vaccination, then it’s likely they don’t have the flu. Also, there is evidence that symptoms can worsen when someone is infected by both COVID-19 and influenza.

Analysts said that China may provide universal flu vaccinations for workers in fields like medicine, public services and transportation, which will increase demand.

Primary and middle schools also usually encourage students to take the shots before flu season.

China’s flu vaccines will not be in short supply when demand increases in the autumn and winter because of the national authorities’ comprehensive preparations, Lü Mengtao, a Beijing-based industry observer and operation director of Beijing Zhimed Medical Science Co, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The immunization rate against the flu was not very high in the past in China, but the COVID-19 epidemic has raised public awareness of vaccines, so more people will want to get flu shots this year, explained Lü.