RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Influenza Vaccination and Hospitalizations Among COVID-19 Infected Adults
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP S179
OP S182
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2021.S1.200528
VO 34
IS Supplement
A1 Ming-Jim Yang
A1 Benjamin J. Rooks
A1 Thanh-Tam Thi Le
A1 Inocente O. Santiago III
A1 Jeffrey Diamond
A1 Nicholas L. Dorsey
A1 Arch G. Mainous III
YR 2021
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/34/Supplement/S179.abstract
AB Introduction: To date, there are no effective treatments for decreasing hospitalizations in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. It has been suggested that the influenza vaccine might attenuate the severity of COVID-19.Methods: This is a retrospective single-centered cohort review of a de-identified database of 2005 patients over the age of 18 within the University of Florida health care system who tested positive for COVID-19. Comorbidities and influenza vaccination status were examined. The primary outcome was severity of disease as reflected by hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Logistic regression was performed to examine the relationship between influenza status and hospitalization.Results: COVID-19-positive patients who had not received the influenza vaccination within the last year had a 2.44 (95% CI, 1.68, 3.61) greater odds of hospitalization and a 3.29 (95% CI, 1.18, 13.77) greater odds of ICU admission when compared with those who were vaccinated. These results were controlled to account for age, race, gender, hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity, coronary artery disease, and congestive heart failure.Discussion: Our analysis suggests that the influenza vaccination is potentially protective of moderate and severe cases of COVID-19 infection. This protective effect holds regardless of comorbidity. The literature points to a potential mechanism via natural killer cell activation. Though our data potentially is limited by its generalizability and our vaccination rate is low, it holds significant relevance given the upcoming influenza season. Not only could simply encouraging influenza vaccination decrease morbidity and mortality from the flu, but it might help flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic as well. We encourage further studies into this finding.