Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Influenza Vaccine May Protect Against Severe Effects Of COVID-19: Study

Influenza Vaccine May Protect Against Severe Effects Of COVID-19: Study

COVID-19 Study: The researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, US, also found that patients with COVID-19 who had been vaccinated against the flu were significantly less likely to visit the emergency department (ED) and be admitted to the intensive care unit.
The annual influenza vaccine may reduce the risk of stroke, sepsis, blood clots and several other severe effects in patients with COVID-19, according to the largest study of its kind.

The researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, US, also found that patients with COVID-19 who had been vaccinated against the flu were significantly less likely to visit the emergency department (ED) and be admitted to the intensive care unit.

"Only a small fraction of the world has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to date, and with all the devastation that has occurred due to the pandemic, the global community still needs to find solutions to reduce morbidity and mortality," said senior study author Devinder Singh, professor at the Miller School.

"My team has been able to observe an association between the flu vaccine and reduced morbidity in COVID-19 patients," said Singh, who conducted the study with lead authors Susan Taghioff and Benjamin Slavin.

The study, published in the journal PLoS One on August 3, analysed patient records from a number of countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, Italy, Israel and Singapore.

The researchers screened de-identified electronic health records on the TriNetX research database for more than 70 million patients to identify two groups of 37,377 patients.

Members of the first study group had received the flu vaccine two weeks and six months prior to being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Those in the second group also had a positive COVID-19 diagnosis but were not vaccinated against the flu.

The incidence of 15 adverse outcomes, including sepsis, strokes, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), emergency department visits and death, within 30, 60, 90 and 120 days of testing positive for COVID-19 were then compared between the two groups.

The analysis revealed that those who had not had the flu shot were significantly more likely (up to 20 per cent) to have been admitted to the ICU.

They were also significantly more likely to visit the emergency department (up to 58 per cent), to develop sepsis (up to 45 per cent), to have a stroke (up to 58 per cent) and a DVT (up to 40 per cent).

The risk of death among patients immunised with the flu vaccine was not reduced, the researchers said.

They were also able to calculate how many COVID-19-positive patients would need to receive an influenza vaccine to avoid one adverse outcome.

The team found that only 176 patients needed to have received a flu vaccine to prevent one ED visit within 120 days of testing positive for COVID-19.

Also, only 286 patients needed to have received their flu vaccine to prevent one case of sepsis.

For every 440 patients who were up to date on their flu shot, one ICU admission was prevented, according to the researchers.

Although it is not exactly known yet how the influenza vaccine provides protection against COVID-19, the researchers said, most theories speculate that the flu shot may boost the innate immune system -- general defences we are born with that do not protect against any one specific illness.

The results, they said, strongly suggest that the flu vaccine may protect against several severe effects of COVID-19.

However, the researchers strongly recommend that people receive COVID-19 vaccines as well their annual influenza vaccine.

The researchers added that more studies, in the form of randomised control trials, are needed to prove and better understand the possible link.

However, they said the flu shot could be used to help provide increased protection in countries where the COVID-19 vaccine is in short supply or even aid in the ongoing struggle against breakthrough cases in those individuals already vaccinated against COVID-19.
"Continued promotion of the influenza vaccine also has the potential help the global population avoid a possible ''twindemic'' - a simultaneous outbreak of both influenza and coronavirus," Taghioff added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
×