No Evidence That Flu Shot Increases Risk of COVID-19

Quick Take

A claim being pushed on social media and by an organization skeptical of vaccines is using a military study to falsely suggest that the flu vaccine increases someone’s risk of contracting COVID-19. The study does not say that, and the Military Health System advises people to get the flu shot.

Full Story 

Federal health officials are warning that the novel coronavirus outbreak could resurge in the fall, presenting a significant public health quandary: fighting both COVID-19 and the flu at the same time.

Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted the importance of the flu vaccine in controlling the spread of influenza in a recent interview with the Washington Post. He said the flu shot “may allow there to be a hospital bed available for your mother or grandmother that