UPDATE: New Flu Mutation with Winter Warnings: Top 10 Places to Get Infected. Stay Healthy – Nick Landekic

by Nick Landekic, contributing writer

Winter is here which means time for holiday celebrations, gatherings with family and friends, and unfortunately, the rise of respiratory virus infections. This year a newly mutated flu variant is making things especially miserable. Here’s what’s been happening and what you can do to stay healthy.

Influenza

There are many forms of the influenza virus and usually a different one (or more) circulates each flu season. This is one of the reasons we need annual flu boosters tailored to the latest strain. This year it’s a strain called H3N2.

H3N2 is considered more severe than other flu strains, and is spiking infections and hospitalizations around the world. Adding to the problem is this year’s H3N2 flu virus mutated earlier this year, after the vaccine was already manufactured, to a new variant called subclade K. This latest variant hits both children and older people (those over 65) especially hard. It also means subclade K can partially evade the latest flu vaccine, reducing its protection.

Flu vaccines are usually about 70-75% effective in preventing hospitalization and death. Because of subclade K’s mutations this year the vaccine is still 72-75% effective in preventing emergency room visits in children but protection is reduced to 32-39% effective in adults.

The flu vaccine is still well worth getting. While it probably won’t keep you from getting the flu, it can still provide some level of protection from severe illness and death which are the most important things. Being vaccinated can mean the difference between having an unpleasant flu vs. something much more serious. Vaccination is especially important for children and older people, the ones being hit hardest.

There have already been 5 million flu cases across the country (and likely more because of inconsistencies in reporting data). Flu cases in Rhode Island are already very high, and high across Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Staying healthy this year means taking extra precautions. The Rhode Island Department of Health recommends flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older. There is also an enhanced flu vaccine available for those over 65.

Having the flu is more than a couple of miserable weeks, or even the risk of death. Studies have shown the risk of Long flu, similar to Long COVID, and could be an unwelcome holiday gift that keeps on giving long after the acute infection is over. Studies have shown there can be long-term complications from flu infection, including:

• Heart complications
• Worsening of pulmonary (lung) conditions
• Loss of physical strength
• Physical decline in older adults
• Secondary infections like pneumonia

“Long COVID is much more of a health problem than COVID, and long flu is much more of a health problem than the flu,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of Washington University, senior author of a study recently published in The Lancet on the long term risks of flu infection.

Last year was already a rough flu season with 38,000 deaths, including 288 children. This year looks like it will be even more brutal. This flu season has just started and already 54 adults and 3 children have died of the flu (the actual numbers are likely higher because of inconsistencies and delays in reporting data).  Flu will likely peak in January to February, fueled by an expected surge after winter travel and holiday gatherings. In addition to talking with your doctor or pharmacist about vaccination, there are simple things you can do to stay healthy:

• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Be extra careful in crowded indoor spaces like restaurants, stores, and when traveling on public transit.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean and sanitize frequently touched surfaces, like tables, doorknobs, and phones.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Wear a N95 (or equivalent KN95, KN94, or FFP2) mask when indoors in crowded public spaces and especially airplanes, buses, and trains. Masks can work very well to help protect you from any respiratory infection, and viruses don’t develop resistance to masks.

Like COVID flu is not ‘just a bad cold.’ Both infections are much more serious and best avoided.

Other Infections

We don’t have just flu to worry about. Our old friends COVID, RSV, and norovirus are still with us and infections are rising. More infections are expected as people travel and gather over the holidays.

COVID infections are rising around the country and are highest in the northeast. The Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative at Tulane University estimates that 732,000 people are getting infected with COVID every day, and 1,300 to 2,200 are dying from COVID every week. COVID infections are forecasted to continue increasing over the coming weeks, as they have each winter since the start of the pandemic.

Updated COVID vaccines were approved in the fall including mNexspike formulated for adults over 65 and others at risk of a poor outcome from infection. If you haven’t gotten a recent COVID vaccine booster talk with your doctor or pharmacist. It’s always a good time to get protected.

If you have or think you may be infected with COVID, if you experience breathing issues, high fever, dizziness, or confusion, get medical help immediately. COVID infection can be very serious, especially in those over 50, or who have underlying health conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, are overweight, or immune compromised. 220 to 360 people a day are dying from COVID infection.

Top 10 Places Where You Could Get Infected

If you would prefer to avoid getting infected with the flu, COVID or RSV, these are the top 10 places where you might think about wearing a mask:

1. Airplanes and airports
2. Day care centers and schools
3. Public transportation like buses and trains
4. Supermarkets and drug stores
5. Malls and retail stores
6. Restaurants
7. Office buildings
8. Hospitals and health care centers
9. Gyms and workout classes
10. Concerts and sporting events

The air you breath is the primary way you can get infected. The same things that can help protect you from flu infections also work for COVID since they’re both airborne viruses. A mask can help in all situations. Wearing a mask is easy. Having COVID, the flu, or RSV, is hard.

Vaccines are one of the greatest medical inventions of all time. They have saved countless millions of lives since Edward Jenner discovered the first smallpox vaccine in 1796. In the time before vaccines like back in the 18^th century, average life expectancy was just 40. Over 40% of children died before their 5^th birthday.

Unfortunately there has been a great deal of misinformation about vaccines lately. For reliable health guidance and factual information look to reputable sources such as the Rhode Island Department of Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and independent science-based organizations such as The Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative, The People’s CDC, WastewaterSCAN, and Your Local Epidemiologist.

Rhode Island’s hospitals are overstressed and our doctors and nurses overworked and beleaguered with all the people who need help. Emergency Rooms are there if you need them, but the holidays are so much more fun if you stay healthy and can avoid them.

Nick Landekic of Bristol is a retired C.E.O. and biotechnology entrepreneur who spent more than 35 years working in the pharmaceutical industry.