As autumn approaches, and even as a new variant of Covid seems to be spreading in Europe, the question of prevention against winter illnesses, seasonal flu and covid in particular, arises. Should we get vaccinated? Should we get tested at the slightest cold? Should we isolate ourselves in the event of a positive test?
Interviewed by the media Health Day (Source 1) Dr. Nicholas Turner, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases at Duke University (North Carolina, USA), provided some answers.
“When my patients ask me if they should get the Covid vaccine this year, I tell them yes, that is, it is recommended. to all persons over 6 months old,” said Dr. Nicholas Turner.This is especially important for anyone over the age of 65 or with an underlying chronic condition.“, he recalls. Same thing for the flu: “Flu and Covid are here to stay and they will be part of our annual updates“, he stressed. The specialist therefore recommends that everyone, and in particular the most vulnerable, get vaccinated against the flu and against covid, in opting for the most recent versions of vaccinesbecause these “offer better protection against currently circulating viruses“. The flu benefits from an updated vaccine each year, which corresponds more or less well depending on the year to the variant finally in circulation, but the vaccine makes it possible in all cases to reduce the risk of developing a serious form of the flu.
Questions to ask yourself about whether or not to get tested
Regarding the tests to diagnose covid, the American specialist believes that “it is not not an absolute requirement for everyone”He suggests that everyone ask themselves two simple questions if they experience suggestive symptoms: “Will this test change my own treatment? And will this test change what I do with other people?”
Therefore, people over 65 or suffering from chronic illnesses would have every interest in getting tested, because “Treatments are more effective when given early“. For others, the test is more to be considered as a civic gesture towards others, and in particular the most vulnerable : “For example, if you’re going to be traveling to visit elderly relatives, if you work in a space that puts you in contact with people who are at higher risk of illness, or if you’re going to be in an enclosed space with lots of other people, it’s good to know whether or not you need to self-isolate.“, says the specialist. He also advises to repeat the self-test several days apart in case of negative test but persistent symptoms.
Dr Turner says that with Covid, there is a tendency for a certain temporality to appear, with two epidemic peaks per yearone in late summer and early fall and another in winter.
