Top Hong Kong infectious disease expert urges all to get influenza shots to prevent co-infection, lung damage amid Covid-19 pandemic
- HKU’s Yuen Kwok-yung discovered during research hamsters infected with both H1N1 and Covid-19 experienced markedly worse lung damage
- Antibody response against coronavirus is impaired by a co-infection, he says, urging all with respiratory illnesses to get tested for influenza and Covid-19
A top infectious disease expert in Hong Kong has called for all city residents to get vaccinated against influenza after he discovered during research that hamsters infected with both H1N1 and Covid-19 experienced markedly worse lung damage.
The University of Hong Kong’s infectious disease expert Professor Yuen Kwok-yung said the findings of the research he led implied that everyone should get influenza shots before the flu season to minimise the chances of a co-infection.
“As winter is approaching, there will be a co-circulation of both the viruses causing influenza and Covid-19 in our community,” Yuen said in response to the study published this month in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal.
The team of researchers infected some golden Syrian hamsters with both the influenza virus H1N1 and the Covid-19 virus SARS-CoV-2, and analysed their effects on the hamsters’ bodies in terms of weight loss and lung viral load.
“The amount of lung damage [and] inflammation are markedly worse with a co-infection,” Yuen said.