Flu shot may help the body defend itself against COVID-19, according to a Dutch study that found hospital workers who got a flu shot last winter were less likely to become infected with the new coronavirus.
In test tube experiments, the researchers saw that last winter’s flu vaccine could prime healthy cells to respond more effectively not just to the flu, but also to the new coronavirus. When they analysed COVID-19 rates among staff at their hospital, they found the number of infections was 39% lower among those who had gotten a flu vaccine.
They posted their report on medRxiv on Friday ahead of peer review. “We thought it was important to publish these results already because the flu shot is made available to a large group of people,” study leader Mihai Netea of Radboud University Medical Center said in a news release.