The warning comes courtesy of prepared testimonies to Congress from top health officials, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director, Anthony Fauci, MD. Experts plan to tell lawmakers on Tuesday that they fear that any spike in COVID-19 cases during flu season could be catastrophic, Bloomberg reports. A portion of their prepared statement reads: The alarm of the potential deadly double hit is being raised because of the amount of time needed to develop and distribute an effective coronavirus vaccine. At best estimates, most medical experts believe a vaccine won’t be available until early 2021. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb The seasonal flu takes a hard toll on the country’s health system every year. According to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2010 through 2019, annual averages are around 447,000 hospitalizations and 37,000 deaths in the U.S. As hospital beds fill up with COVID-19 cases and become unavailable to influenza patients, experts fear that the death rate could rise. The prepared testimony also reveals that the CDC is preparing for the increase in cases with a newly developed test that can check for both COVID-19 and the flu simultaneously, stating it “will save public health laboratories both time and resources, including testing materials that are in short supply.” They are also ramping up funding for flu vaccines around the country, aiming to increase access for higher-risk populations and those who can’t afford a flu shot, according to Bloomberg. And for more on what could be next in the pandemic, check out Here’s When the Second Wave of Coronavirus Is Coming, Doctors Warn.
