Note the nervous "publisher's note." God forbid anyone should infer the
possibility that getting a flu shot might endanger more than help them.

MCM

Positive association between COVID-19 deaths and influenza vaccination rates in elderly people worldwide


https://peerj.com/articles/10112/

October 1, 2020
Highlighted in Coronaviruses and Viral Respiratory Infections
  1. October 14, 2020:

    Publisher Note: Given the public interest in articles which report on vaccination, the publisher reminds readers that correlation (which this article reports upon for a specific age group) does not necessarily equal causation. As such, this article should not be taken to suggest that receiving the influenza vaccination results in an increased risk of death for an individual with COVID-19 as there may be many confounding factors at play (including, for example, socioeconomic factors). The publisher also wants to draw the attention of readers to the peer-review history of this article.

Author and article information

Abstract

 

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an ongoing global health crisis, directly and indirectly impacting all spheres of human life. Some pharmacological measures have been proposed to prevent COVID-19 or reduce its severity, such as vaccinations. Previous reports indicate that influenza vaccination appears to be negatively correlated with COVID-19-associated mortality, perhaps as a result of heterologous immunity or changes in innate immunity. The understanding of such trends in correlations could prevent deaths from COVID-19 in the future. The aim of this study was therefore to analyze the association between COVID-19 related deaths and influenza vaccination rate (IVR) in elderly people worldwide.

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