Korea likely to see 'twindemic' in upcoming flu season

People wait to receive COVID-19 tests at a screening center in Seocho District, Seoul, Tuesday. Newsis

By Lee Hyo-jin

• Published Aug 30, 2022 4:20 PM KST
• Updated Aug 31, 2022 11:01 AM KST

Vulnerable groups advised to receive both flu and updated COVID-19 vaccines

By Lee Hyo-jin

A “twindemic” ― a severe flu season occurring at the same time as an increase in coronavirus cases, possibly overwhelming healthcare systems ― is likely to occur in Korea this coming flu season, according to local medical experts, amounting to a worrisome scenario.

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory disease caused by a family of viruses that infect the nose, throat and even lungs in serious cases. Common symptoms of the illness include a high fever, cough and sore throat.

Each year, the country grapples with a flu season which usually begins at the end of November, reaches its peak in December and lasts until as late as April.

It is not the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020 that experts have warned about a possible twindemic.

But Korea has so far avoided such a double whammy of viral infections. Thanks to COVID-19-induced measures such as required face masks, social distancing rules, enhanced personal hygiene and working from home, the flu seasons of 2021 and 2020 were unusually mild.

However, this year is likely to be different, experts warn.

“The number (of flu patients) is rising already. It could be the beginning of a typical flu season, or a more severe one, considering that people haven't been building up immunity against the virus in the past couple of years,” Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital, told The Korea Times.

And now that the government has eased many social distancing measures, the number of flu cases is likely to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels, he added.

According to weekly information from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), in the third week of August, 4.2 out of 1,000 visitors to hospitals were reported to have influenza-like symptoms, up from 3.7 in the previous week.

This figure is the highest for that period in five years, after 5.2 out of 1,000 people were reported to have flu-like symptoms in the second week of August in 2017.

Kim said Korea should look at the flu trends in Australia, where it is currently winter, for possible indications of the upcoming the flu season for countries in the Northern Hemisphere.

Australia has been grappling with its worst flu season in five years, with 216,725 reported cases and 273 fatalities, as of Aug. 14. Children aged under 9 were hit hardest among other age groups, according to Australian health authorities.

“Australia's flu season typically spans from June to September, but this year, it started in April. Our government should take preemptive steps and concurrently roll out flu shots and updated COVID-19 vaccines to vulnerable groups in the coming weeks,” said Kim.

Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines on the way

The KDCA, which anticipates another huge wave of COVID-19 infections to arrive in late fall at the earliest due to waning immunity among the population here from vaccinations or prior infections, plans to roll out booster shots specifically targeting the Omicron variant.

The agency will announce on Wednesday detailed plans for the procurement of the updated vaccines and inoculation.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is currently reviewing authorizing bivalent vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna that target both the BA.1 subvariant of Omicron as well as the original strain of the coronavirus.

Upon approval, the doses are expected to be used for second boosters on recipients currently eligible for a fourth shot ― people aged 50 and over, those aged 18 and over with underlying diseases, as well as residents and workers in nursing homes and other vulnerable facilities.