It’s likely a cold not Covid but get jabbed
FAMILY doctors are reporting a surge in patients suffering from cold-like viruses ahead of the feared arrival of a ‘twindemic’ of Covid and flu this winter.
It comes amid widespread confusion among people who are suffering from what appear to be Covid-like symptoms, but then test negative for coronavirus.
Dr Dan Murphy of Salthill Medical Centre in Galway told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘There’s been a spike in Covid in the last two weeks but also in other things – upper respiratory tract illnesses presenting as colds and coughs and sore throats. And the patients are testing Covid-negative.’
Dr Murphy said it was ‘probably a combination of cold viruses’ causing the symptoms, with the possibility that some flu has arrived.
He said: ‘Some of the reasons for it I think are that there’s been a downturn in the weather. The children are back at school and mixing more and there’s probably a phenomenon that has been termed herding, which basically means more people gather under a roof now at this time of year than before. There’s less opportunity to go out into the fresh air.’
Monaghan-based GP Dr Ilona Duffy said her practice was ‘definitely seeing real flu-like illnesses presenting’ that probably weren’t flu. She said it was ‘not beyond the bounds of possibility’ that flu has already arrived.
But she said: ‘There definitely are other viruses going about.’
The latest available influenza report from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre noted that influenza activity was ‘below baseline or at low levels’, though ‘respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) notifications increased’.
The report notes that ‘this may be an indicator of an early RSV season similar to 2021’.
Although there has not been a significant flu outbreak here for two years thanks to Covid restrictions, one is feared this year as European patterns tend to follow those in the southern hemisphere.
‘Apart from the last two years, flu always puts great pressure on the health service during the winter,’ said Professor of Health Systems at DCU Anthony Staines, who is a member of the Independent Scientific Advocacy Group.
Prof Staines told the MoS: ‘You’ll have queues and waiting lists getting longer, emergency departments filling up and elective surgery being cancelled.’
Prof Staines stressed that a ‘twindemic’ was not a foregone conclusion. ‘Hopefully we will be lucky,’ he said. ‘Hopefully Covid will fade and we won’t have a bad flu season. But nobody can assume that’s what’s going to happen.’
He encouraged people to get back into the now-familiar preventative habits of wearing masks in public, ventilating indoor spaces and getting vaccinated.
The HSE began its rollout of modified Covid vaccines this week, with three new recipes in use – two from Pfizer and one from Moderna.
In a statement to the MoS, the HSE said: ‘While all previous vaccines offer protection against Covid-19, the adapted vaccines are expected to give wider protection against Covid-19 variants.’
The flu vaccine can be received at the same time as a Covid vaccine in GPs and pharmacies.
Uptake of the new Covid jabs was strong this week, with more people receiving first booster shots than in any week since January.
On average around 9,500 people got a first booster jab each day since Tuesday and around 6,500 got second boosters. Over 75,000 first, second and immunocompromised booster doses have been administered since Monday.
When asked what plans were in place to cope with a potential surge of Covid and flu cases this winter, the HSE said its measures included ‘additional capacity in terms of beds, staffing and strengthening Community Care Teams’.
A spokesperson added: ‘The HSE is urging members of the public to consider all care options before attending emergency departments. There is a range of care pathways available to patients who do not need emergency care including pharmacists, GPs, GP out of hours services and minor injury units.’
‘Less opportunity to go out in the fresh air’
‘A range of care pathways available’