Feeling healthier this cold and flu season?
You're not alone.
Just as frequent handwashing and wearing a mask protect yourself and others against COVID-19, it's also helping stop the spread of viruses like the common cold and the seasonal flu.
The other major factor has been a significant uptake in the number of people receiving the flu shot at their local pharmacy.
"We were up approximately 25 per cent in the number of flu shots we administered last fall, compared to the previous year," said Wally Kowalchuk, owner of Wally's Pharmasave in Cornwall, PEI.
He says many people who had previously never gotten the flu shot
before lined up for the jab in the arm last fall. The shot was free to Island residents and administered in clinics and pharmacies across the province. Health PEI also recommended individuals over 65 years of age receive the influenza high-dose vaccine this year.
Nova Scotia also saw a sharp demand for the flu vaccine, and Diane Harpell said there were some issues around supply.
Harpell is the chairperson of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia and owner of the Medicine Shoppe in Dartmouth. Like PEI, any resident of the province is eligible to receive a flu shot free of charge.
"The demand was unlike anything we had seen before," she said.
Kowalchuk says mandatory mask-wearing and physical distancing have played a major role in keeping colds and the flu at bay.
"The flu is also a virus - anything that helps stop the spread of COVID-19 also helps to slow it (the flu) down," the pharmacist explains.
Like COVID-19, the flu and colds are spread by droplet transmission, and many of the symptoms associated with the COVID virus - like a cough, headaches, fever, and fatigue - are also associated with many flu strains.
Demand for flu meds down
Kowalchuk says sales of cold and flu medication have taken a significant drop over the last few months. He believes the pandemic has definitely made people more aware of ways to protect against cold and flu - such as handwashing.
Like Kowalchuk, Harpell is also seeing a sharp reduction in the sale of cold and flu medication. While she says it's hard to say the exact reason, she has no doubt the precautions people are taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is having a big impact.
She noted that since masks became mandatory in Nova Scotia in late summer, there has been a strong compliance rate.
"People are following the rules like they are supposed to," she says. "It may be a bit of an unintended consequence, but the cold and flu are viruses too, and the measures we are using for COVID also help to stop their spread."
Harpell said having somebody come into the pharmacy to purchase cold or flu medication for themselves is now a rare occurrence.
Before COVID, she said, it would not be uncommon to see people sneeze or cough in the store.
"Now, if people are sick, they are staying home, and if they need medicine, they are likely getting somebody else to buy it for them," she said.
Long-term impact?
As to whether the heightened awareness will continue when the pandemic fades, Kowalchuk says it's too soon to tell. While wearing masks and frequent handwashing are now part of our daily routine, he said people can also get out of a habit pretty quickly.
Harpell also maintains it's too soon to tell whether those good habits will disappear when COVID fades. She said there is no doubt that when people go back to travelling and interacting with each other more, there will almost certainly be a rise in the number of colds.
"That is how viruses spread," she explained. "However, I think we are going to be some time yet before we will be back to the way it was pre-COVID."
At the very least, she thinks there is now a greater appreciation among people for what viruses are, how quickly they can spread, and how dangerous they can be.
"Hopefully, people won't forget that things like washing your hands frequently can make a big difference to our health," she adds.
Did you know?
The most common symptoms of the flu are high fever, headache, general muscle aches and pain, extreme fatigue and weakness, cough, chills, sweating, sore throat, chest discomfort, runny, stuffy nose, and sneezing. According to the Health PEI website, most people recover from the flu within a week to 10 days. The website recommends getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of liquids, and avoiding contact with other people.
