Flu Vaccine and CV19

[FuzzyPuffling]

A theoretical question but I have been pondering...if BCG vaccine seems to offer some immunity from CV19, and previous coronavirus infections seems to have some protective effect too, is the current flu jab going to offer any (partial) immunity, possibly by perking up the immune system?

Not a doctor but BCG and flu jab are quite different. BCG is a live vaccine ( live bacteria even though weak ) and flu jab is inactive or from dead strain. Immune response from BCG should be more powerful. But I do think that having previous covid infection should give immunity to other flu virus as covid infection came from live virus. Again, not a doctor , just my assumption.

Apologies for the Daily Fail link:
www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi6uaaaorfsAhXrQxUIHciCB-YQFjAAegQIBBAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fhealth%2Farticle-8832437%2FWhy-flu-jab-protect-against-Covid-19.html&usg=AOvVaw3fmG0plpPT225PNTFpkHig

The flu jab won’t reduce (or increase) your risk of catching Covid-19. It will reduce your risk of catching both flu and Covid-19 at the same time - and if you did that, your risk of death is more than double than if you caught Covid-19 alone.

There was some reporting earlier in the year that having the flu vaccine made you more susceptible to non-flu viral infections, which was worrying. That has now been found not to be true for Covid-19:

Interesting link Mrs Wombat, saying what I was sort of getting at! Given what Peter Openshaw is saying here, I'm surprised it hasn't been better reported.

Glad I had my flu jab last week. And before 10.00am too, so extra strong response!

Google it , I can’t find it right now but there is some thinking that the flu jab fires up your immune system. So makes it better to cope with other virus incl covid , sorry I don’t have a link

There’s a theory that the rubella jab is part of the reason the virus tends to affect women less severely than men.....

I’ve just had Covid and they won’t let me have my flu jab until I get a negative test result as they are worried it will overwhelm by immune system?

Puzzled, i get that a flu jab has no particular reason to protect from CV19, but neither has a BCG jab. It was more the revving up of the immune system that I was wondering about, especially as flu is more closely related to CV19 than TB is.

I think the dominant theory about why young women are less affected than men is the protective effect of oestrogen (ie up to menopause)

I just read that article in the Daily Mail that suggests people who get a flu vaccine are vastly less likely to die of COVID or get seriously ill even. I don't think they even understand why yet but the studies looking at this issue involve large numbers of people

MMR is another live attenuated vaccine which is being examined for beneficial off target effects

asm.org/Press-Releases/2020/MMR-Vaccine-Could-Protect-Against-the-Worst-Sympto

I’ve read articles stating that the flu jab increases your chances of respitory distress syndrome from mother viral respitory diseases (such as Covid), and on the other end of the spectrum I’ve read articles stating that it may actually offer some protection by “revving” up the immune system. That article also stated that having a common cold could offer the same perks. Who knows.

Suppose my mum is a test of these theories. She has covid now and she had her flu jab 3 weeks ago. She is quite poorly though at the moment

Does anyone know if there’s any danger that people can shed after the flu vaccine? And if they do is there a possibility they’ll shed Covid if they have it in their system?

It’s the flu vaccination next week at school and I’m starting to worry about it!

Sorry to hear about your mum @Dumpypumpy, hope she improves soon

Thank you for all your comments. It's all interesting stuff.
Dumpy I hope your mum gets better very soon.

It could also be that people who have the flu jab are more likely to be careful with their lifestyle, e.g., take vitamins and any prescribed medication.

Google it , I can’t find it right now but there is some thinking that the flu jab fires up your immune system. So makes it better to cope with other virus incl covid , sorry I don’t have a link

I have always thought this. Before I started having the flu jab I would have several bad colds every year, since, I often just have one, and sometimes none.

Does anyone know if there’s any danger that people can shed after the flu vaccine?

Yes, it's known that vaccinated children shed the virus for a few days after vaccination (through sneezing or coughing). But this poses no risk to most people because it contains an attenuated virus, so it is much less able to spread from person to person than flu viruses that circulate during the flu season, and it cannot grow inside the body.

It only poses a risk (and then a fairly remote one) to those who have severe immune issues (such as those who have blood cancers) and who are in close household contact with a newly immunised child. DC whose household contain a highly vulnerable person get the jab (dead virus) rather than the sniff.