![]() ![]() Now that these Covid restrictions have been scrapped, it is ultimately up to the individual whether they want to keep wearing a mask, though the Government has recommended people do so in its Covid winter plan. ![]() The best way to protect yourself from colds and the flu is the same way we have been protecting ourselves against Covid-19 – good ventilation, keeping your distance and wearing a mask in public indoor spaces. “We are also likely to see flu again this winter and particularly this winter because we didn’t have much flu around last winter.” How can I protect myself? Helen Whately told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “One thing I’m doing as Care Minister is looking ahead to the winter, where we can anticipate we may get a surge in Covid again because that’s the thing that happens with this kind of virus. The Government warned of a spike in flu infections earlier this summer. “The Covid-19 control measures – mask wearing and social distancing – really work, and they work really well for other respiratory pathogens too,” she told Wired. Rachel Baker, an epidemiologist at Princeton University, said the low flu numbers seen in both the UK and US are proof anti-Covid measures are successful. Public Health England reported that it did not record a single case of influenza for seven weeks back in February, which is normally peak flu season. “If you’ve not had those exposures, your immune system may be a little slower to respond or doesn’t respond as fully, leading to greater susceptibility to some respiratory infections and sometimes longer or more protracted symptoms.” Dr Paul Skolnik, an immunovirologist and chair of internal medicine at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, told the New York Times: “Frequent exposure to various pathogens primes or jazzes up the immune system to be ready to respond to that pathogen. Her view is shared by other doctors and scientists. Our lack of immunity could mean that more people will become infected and we may see an increase in numbers requiring hospitalisation.” “However, over the past year, we have not experienced our usual set of exposures to respiratory viruses, and therefore we’ve missed out on our annual immunity ‘top-ups’. But the changes they make are usually not enough for these viruses to make us particularly ill. “We can still get re-infected because viruses are remarkable shape-shifters, changing their appearance rapidly so that they can at least partly out-run our immune systems. ![]()
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