Concerns of COVID-19, seasonal flu impact by health experts

Health experts are concerned about the impact on South Africans having both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza at the same time.

While it’s unclear how both viruses will affect patients, experts believe that the current standard prevention methods for COVID-19 will be crucial in managing the flu virus as well.

Social distancing, good hand hygiene, wearing of masks and protecting older citizens and those with underlying illnesses, will minimise the impact of both viruses during the winter months.

Professor Adrian Puren, from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, says the challenge is to avoid having both at the same time.

“That’s always been the concern, that if these multiple infections come together what are the implications. It makes it obviously very difficult to diagnose because that’s the flu season and we know that the signs and symptoms are very similar. What I think is critical, the things that we are mentioning about how to protect ourselves against being infected by the COVID virus, is very similar to what actually will be effective with regards to being infected with the influenza virus,” says Puren.

South Africa’s confirmed COVID-19 cases have risen to 61 927 as of Friday night. A further 70 people have died from the virus, bringing the national total to 1 354, which translates to a mortality rate of 2.2%.

The Western Cape has the most cases and deaths, 38 926 and 1005 respectively. The Eastern Cape has the second-highest deaths with 208.