
Worried about flu season, vaccines and those breakthrough cases? Your questions answered
CBC
Remember that awful flu season last year? Of course you don't. Thanks to lockdowns, closed borders, masking and other measures brought in to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, last year's flu season was basically non-existent.
That's likely to change this year.
Public health authorities are warning that influenza is set to make a comeback, and are urging Canadians to get their flu shot as soon as possible.
But with a number of New Brunswickers still lining up for – or having recently received – their first or second dose of the COVID vaccine, some are asking: Is it safe to get two shots in such quick succession? If I'm wearing a mask everywhere I go, do I even need to worry about catching the flu?
And what about all those breakthrough cases of COVID-19 – doesn't that suggest the vaccines aren't as effective as we'd hoped?
In an interview with CBC News, Memorial University immunology professor Rodney Russell answers all of these "good questions" and more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.