Vaccine Update: Researchers say this year Vaccine process was mismanaged

The flu vaccinations were developed well in advance to combat the H3N2, H1N1, and two strains of influenza B that are anticipated to dominate the United States during the 2021–22 flu season.

According to Scott Hensley, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania who led the study, H3N2, the predominant strain, changed in such a way that the flu vaccines don’t match up against it very well.

It appears to be a significant mismatch based on our laboratory results, he said.

It’s possible that this discrepancy was a factor in the flu outbreaks on college campuses.

Over 700 people were impacted by an outbreak at the University of Michigan, and according to CNN, about 26% of those who tested positive had had a flu shot. They stated on the website medRxiv, which posts unreviewed research publications, “Studies have clearly demonstrated that seasonal influenza vaccines reliably decrease hospitalizations and deaths even in years where there is a major antigenic mismatch.”

The H3N2 revelation is concerning because the 2020–21 flu season in the United States was reportedly mild due to COVID safety measures that slowed down the transmission of the virus.

Since these viruses have not been widely distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic, population immunity against influenza viruses is probably low, according to the researchers. “Reduced foreign travel, mask use, and social isolation have probably all contributed to a decline in influenza virus circulation worldwide.”

“It is probable that influenza viruses will circulate freely once COVID-19-related restrictions are loosened or lifted due to a lack of infection-induced population immunity over the past two years.”

More than 22,000 Americans died from the flu in the 2019–20 season; for the 2020–21 season, mortality dropped to around 700. Researchers are also speculating about whether the United States would experience another mild flu season or a “twindemic,” in which patients contract both the flu and COVID.

Source: Bangalore Mirror

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